Strait Forward

Latest Episodes:

Made in Wisconsin: Inside Foxconn's American AI Manufacturing Boom Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Strait Forward, Channing Lee tours Foxconn's Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin campus with Robert Schlaeger, Head of U.S. Region Public & Government Affairs at Foxconn, to unpack how the Taiwanese electronics manufacturing giant built one of its largest U.S. footprints — and is enabling America to build in the age of AI.

They trace Foxconn's roots in America back to Houston in the 1980s, discuss the pivot from Wisconsin's original consumer-electronics plans to today's booming AI data server production, and explore how the company trains a local workforce through partnerships with Wisconsin’s technical colleges and Taiwanese universities.

Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.

Why Taiwan Didn’t Steal America’s Chip Industry (Pt. 3: Industry & Culture) Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

Building advanced semiconductor foundries — and serving as the world’s trusted semiconductor supply chain capital — requires far more than purchasing multi-million-dollar lithography equipment. It also requires a fundamental alignment between a company’s business strategy, structural architecture, and organizational culture.

In the last episode of a three-part Strait Forward miniseries on why Taiwan did not steal America’s chip industry, host Channing Lee speaks with Dr. Konrad Young, a former Director for Research and Development (R&D) at TSMC, to discuss the secret sauce behind Taiwan’s semiconductor industry — and why Taiwan’s partnership with American tech firms has been the key to both countries’ technological successes.

00:00:09:16 — Introduction

00:02:20:11 — Dr. Young's Early Career

00:04:24:23 — Origins of Taiwan's Semiconductor Industry

00:05:31:06 — Taiwanese Talent Pipeline Through US Universities

00:07:40:05 — The Fabless/Foundry Split

00:10:34:14 — Why TSMC Chose the Foundry Model Over the IDM

00:12:57:14 — TSMC's Difficult Early Years

00:17:16:14 — Cultural Conflict Between Manufacturing Discipline and R&D Creativity

00:20:46:03 — The Financial/ROI Advantage of the Foundry Model vs. the IDM Model

00:23:51:10 — Development of the 0.13 Micron Process

00:27:14:22 — TSMC's Dominance in Foundry

00:28:04:05 — Culture of Foundry Work vs. Big-Country "King" Mentality

00:32:02:00 — How the AI boom is reshaping demand and TSMC's business

00:34:28:03 — AI and Automation's Potential Impact on Manufacturing Labor

00:38:34:18 — Why Dr. Young Chose to Return to Taiwan from the US

00:41:10:16 — Building TSMC's Unique R&D Culture

00:43:08:12 — Working Under Morris Chang and TSMC's Cultural Legacy

00:46:22:21 — Taiwan Recommendation

Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.

Why Taiwan Didn’t Steal America’s Chip Industry (Pt. 2: Institutional Ecosystem) Aug 18, 2026

Show notes

Political rhetoric often relies on simple villains, and few narratives are as convenient — or as fundamentally flawed — as the claim that Taiwan "stole" America's semiconductor industry. In this second episode of Strait Forward's three-part miniseries, host Channing Lee continues debunking this myth by examining the institution at the heart of Taiwan's chip story: the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).

Channing sits down with Stephen Su, Senior Vice President at ITRI, to trace how a single 1974 breakfast meeting between Taiwanese officials led to a pivotal technology licensing agreement with RCA — bringing 36 researchers to the US for a year of training that would seed Taiwan's entire semiconductor foundry industry. Su walks through how ITRI incubated both UMC and TSMC as spinoff companies, and explains why he attributes only a small fraction of Taiwan's success to luck — the rest coming from decades of sustained hard work once that initial opportunity was in place.

The conversation also explores TSMC's deeply global supplier ecosystem, ITRI's ongoing research partnerships with US universities like Stanford, Berkeley, CMU, and MIT, and Su's framework for understanding Taiwan's evolving role — from "Made in Taiwan," to "Made by Taiwan" overseas, to what he argues must become "Made with Taiwan": a model of deep international partnership essential not just for semiconductors, but for the future of AI and quantum computing.

Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.

Why Taiwan Didn’t Steal America’s Chip Industry (Pt. 1: Geoeconomic History) Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

Political rhetoric often relies on simple villains, and few narratives are as convenient — or as fundamentally flawed — as the claim that Taiwan "stole" America’s semiconductor industry. In a new three-part miniseries of Strait Forward, host Channing Lee seeks to debunk this myth by examining how and why Taiwan built its chip industry, and how Taiwan’s emergence as a manufacturing powerhouse enabled America to unleash its innovation power.

This first episode featuring Dr. Roy Lee, formerly Taiwan's Representative to the EU and Belgium and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, explores the geopolitical and economic conditions that created the urgency — and opportunity — for Taiwan to become the world’s chip hub. Contrary to the narrative of theft, Taiwan’s semiconductor success resulted from a deliberate, 45-year strategic partnership built on mutual survival, risk-taking, and shared security imperatives between Washington and Taipei.

Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.

Assessing PLA Military Readiness Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

China's military is testing Taiwan in new ways — fewer dramatic air incursions, and far more Coast Guard ships crowding Taiwan's waters in a slow, deliberate squeeze. In this episode, host Channing Lee sits down in the Strait Forward studio with Dr. I-Chung Lai, President of the Prospect Foundation, to assess how Taiwan reads the readiness of the People's Liberation Army to conduct an operation around the island. They dig into whether Beijing has the capability for a full-scale invasion, why a blockade or quarantine may be the more realistic threat, what China might be learning from conflict in the Middle East, and how gray-zone tactics are reshaping the fight across the strait. Lai closes on a hopeful note: a Taiwan growing more economically confident and more sure of its own ability to defend itself.

Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.

Sharing Boba Tea, Sharing Taiwan Jul 07, 2026

Show notes

It's Taiwan's most famous export in a cup, but behind every chewy tapioca pearl is a global business story of culture, competition, and surprising technology. In this episode, host Channing Lee talks about all things boba with Greg Chen, CEO of International Business and Chief Investment Officer for the group behind Sharetea and Unique Green (UG) Tea, two of Taiwan's biggest bubble tea brands. They cover where boba came from, how the drink became a worldwide phenomenon and a symbol of Taiwanese culture, why Chinese chains flooding the market pose a growing competitive threat, and how AI-powered machines are helping stores leap from 100 cups a day to thousands. Producer Bobby Owens also tries boba for the very first time.

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Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.

The U.S.-Taiwan Semiconductor Education Alliance Jun 23, 2026

Show notes

As the United States and Taiwan deepen their semiconductor partnership, can they build a talent pipeline resilient enough to sustain it? Recorded live in Orlando at the 2026 U.S.-Taiwan Semiconductor Higher Education Networking Event, on the sidelines of the NAFSA: Association of International Educators 2026 Annual Conference, host Channing Lee sits down with three university leaders shaping that future: Dr. Lin Chi-Hung, President of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan; Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson, President of San Jose State University in the heart of Silicon Valley; and Dr. Reza Abdolvand, Professor and Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Central Florida. Fresh off the signing of a new memorandum of understanding, they dig past the buzzwords into what an education partnership really requires, from micro-credentials to cross-border student exchanges, why education may be the ultimate win-win in U.S.-Taiwan relations, and how each side defines success.

Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.

How Taiwan is Building an AI Island Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

Taiwan's Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs, Chia-Lin Yang, joins host Channing Lee live at the AI+ Expo for a conversation on Taiwan's ambitions to become an “AI island” grounded in democratic values. They discuss the mission of Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs (moda), the country's Ten AI Initiative, and the challenge of building a competitive software ecosystem to match Taiwan's already dominant hardware capabilities. Deputy Minister Yang also reflects on AI governance, cybersecurity priorities, and what it will take to push Taiwan's digital transformation from prototype to widespread adoption.

Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.

A Strategy for Defending Taiwan May 26, 2026

Show notes

Channing Lee hosts a live conversation at the 2026 AI+ Expo Bookstore with historian Eyck Freymann, a Hoover Fellow at Stanford University. Drawing from Freymann’s new book, Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China, the discussion delves into the "deterrence stack," a multi-layered defense framework encompassing political, military, strategic, and economic pillars. Freymann explains that while the United States is well-prepared for conventional military scenarios, it remains vulnerable to gray-zone tactics and economic coercion, making a comprehensive strategy essential for navigating future cross-strait crises.

Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.

Defending Against PRC Doublethink & Information Manipulation May 12, 2026

Show notes

At the 2026 AI+ Expo, host Channing Lee speaks with Doublethink Lab Founder and CEO Ttcat, Senior Analyst Jerry Yu, and Strategic Partnership Manager Dahyun Kim to expose the evolving tactics of PRC influence. From the alarming "GoLaxy Leak"—which revealed PRC state-backed AI profiling of Taiwan and U.S. citizens—to the "Borderless Group" content farms infiltrating social media, this episode pulls back the curtain on PRC foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI). The team discusses the critical role of democratic control over the AI supply chain and shares why human vigilance is still the best digital defense.

Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.

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