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| Taiwan Thinktank | |
|---|---|
| Name | Taiwan Thinktank |
| Native name | 臺灣智庫 |
| Established | 2005 |
| Type | Nonprofit research institute |
| Headquarters | Taipei |
| Leader title | President |
| Leader name | Lee Wen-chung |
Taiwan Thinktank is a Taipei-based policy research institute founded in 2005 that focuses on security, cross-strait relations, energy, and democracy issues. It engages in policy research, track-two diplomacy, and public outreach, producing reports, conferences, and expert commentary. The institute interacts with academic institutions, partisan actors, and international organizations across East Asia and beyond.
Founded in 2005 amid intensifying cross-strait tensions and shifting regional alignments, the institute emerged alongside think tanks such as Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Brookings Institution, Chatham House, and Council on Foreign Relations. Early activities included dialogues with actors from People's Republic of China, exchanges with representatives from United States Department of State, consultations with members of the Legislative Yuan and links to civil society groups like Civic Alliance for Public Affairs. Over time it hosted events featuring figures connected to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, analysts from RAND Corporation, and visitors from the Japan External Trade Organization and Seoul Institute. Its timeline reflects broader regional developments including the 2008 Chen Shui-bian administration aftermath, the 2014 Sunflower Student Movement, and reactions to the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections involving Tsai Ing-wen and KMT policy shifts.
The institute states objectives to inform policy debates on cross-strait relations, regional security, and energy transition while promoting democratic resilience. It frames work in relation to actors such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Republic of China), the Ministry of National Defense (Republic of China), and parliamentary committees of the Legislative Yuan. It aims to convene experts from universities like National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University, Academia Sinica, and international centers including Asia Society and Mercator Institute for China Studies.
Governance includes a board with academics, former officials, and civil society leaders drawn from institutions such as National Defense University (Taiwan), Taipei City Government, and the private sector with links to firms listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Research divisions cover security studies, energy policy, cross-strait affairs, and civil society engagement, staffed by fellows with backgrounds at Columbia University, London School of Economics, Johns Hopkins University, and regional think tanks like Korea Institute for National Unification and S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
Research outputs include policy briefs, white papers, and op-eds on topics spanning deterrence strategies referencing analyses used by Pentagon advisers, energy assessments interacting with regulators akin to the Taiwan Power Company, and democracy resilience studies citing lessons from Hong Kong protests and Orange Revolution. Publications have been circulated at conferences such as Asean Regional Forum, workshops with scholars from Peking University and Tsinghua University, and seminars co-organized with the European Council on Foreign Relations. Notable series addressed maritime security in the context of incidents near the South China Sea and legal dimensions involving instruments like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The institute has provided testimony and briefs to committees of the Legislative Yuan and advisory panels linked to the Presidential Office (Republic of China). It has engaged in track-two dialogues with delegations analogous to the Straits Exchange Foundation and counterparts connected to the Taipei Representative Office in Japan. Through media appearances on outlets similar to BBC, NHK, and Reuters wire reports, its analysts contributed to public debate around arms procurement discussions involving platforms similar to the F-16 program, and energy debates influenced by reports from the International Energy Agency.
Funding sources reported include grants, research contracts, and philanthropy drawn from foundations and academic partners such as Ford Foundation, Asia Foundation, and consortiums involving universities like Harvard University and University of Tokyo. Collaborative projects have linked the institute with regional agencies such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and policy networks like the International Crisis Group. Partnerships with corporate donors have included dialogues with firms in the tech sector listed on Taiwan Stock Exchange and multinational energy companies operating across East China Sea markets.
Critics have questioned the institute's impartiality, alleging partisan alignments with political factions tied to former or current lawmakers in the Democratic Progressive Party and Kuomintang, and challenging funding transparency in lines similar to controversies faced by other regional think tanks. Its track-two meetings with representatives linked to People's Republic of China entities and participation in dialogues with actors associated with the Chinese Communist Party have prompted debates about influence and national security among commentators from outlets like Focus Taiwan and analysts at International Institute for Strategic Studies. Academic critics at institutions such as National Tsing Hua University and Soongsil University have critiqued methodological approaches in certain policy papers.
Category:Think tanks in Taiwan