Utah delegation returns from trade mission to ‘pivotal’ Taiwan amid growing tensions

SALT LAKE CITY — A delegation representing aerospace, defense and research industries in Utah traveled to Taiwan this month, hoping to make connections with a country under increasing pressure to shore up its borders.

“The threat of war always forces us as a society to hasten the pace of acceleration around technology,” said Aaron Starks, president of 47G (formerly the Utah Aerospace and Defense Association), the group organizing the trip. “While it’s an unfortunate circumstance, we do realize that in markets like Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, the threat escalation is high and therefore, there’s more business to be transacted.”

47G has been organizing delegations such as this in places where, as Starks puts it, “There’s more opportunity for companies to go and prove their technologies in unique ways.”

For four days, from April 8-12, Utah companies met with Taiwan’s national defense leadership, research institutions and manufacturers in back-to-back meetings, bus rides and presentations.

“When our delegation hit the ground, our companies already had access and exposure to the right people to quickly get deals done,” said Caroline Chapdelaine, CEO of Northstar Photonics.

Global tensions rising

Chapdelaine, who was an Army intelligence officer in Korea and Thailand, said escalating tensions in the Asian Pacific are a result of the US and China becoming “hyperaware of just how pivotal Taiwan is because of the semiconductor industry.”

China has had a hard time getting its semiconductor industry going, partially because of the US’s efforts to keep its largest telecommunication company, Huawei, at bay with economic levers and tariffs, according to Chapdelaine. Meanwhile, “The US has become aware just how far behind it is,” she said, and so all efforts are being made to prevent Taiwan from falling to one extreme or another.

The global supply chain for semiconductors is a fragile ecosystem and has been disrupted by conflict in the past few years. According to a US International Trade Commission report, Ukraine supplies 25-30% of the world’s supply of purified neon gas, crucial for chip manufacturing, while Taiwan accounts for 18% of global chip manufacturing and 92% of advanced chip manufacturing as of 2023.

Still, members of the delegation told KSL.com they were surprised at how at ease Taiwanese officials were. “We’ve seen a lot more media attention in the US on what’s happening in Taiwan,” Chapdelaine said, “so my thought would be, the Taiwanese view has probably changed significantly, and they’re a lot more scared.” But for a generation that’s only ever known tension with its larger neighbor, China’s “poking at the borders a little bit more lately” is not really a big deal, the Army veteran was told.

“I was very surprised about how relaxed the Taiwanese are,” said Dominic Kelly, director of KordUSA. “They’re used to living under the threat of a massive nation on their doorstep wanting to gobble them up.” Kelly mentioned the companies he met with have to deal with constant cybersecurity pressure.

“Their counter-cyber teams are just continually batting off cyberattacks on a daily basis,” he said. “It’s incredible how intense it is. So they’re fighting a daily war against the Chinese.”

Utah abroad

The 47G team — including former Utah Republican Party vice chairman Starks, co-founder and lobbyist Adam Gardiner, chief of staff Robert Carroll, with a board of directors including former US Rep. Chris Stewart, commercial real-estate mogul Brandon Fugal, Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity managing director Kori Ann Edwards, USU President Elizabeth Cantwell, and many more — leverage their connections, which are vast by all accounts, to connect organizations with potential partners, mentors and customers, for a membership fee.

Through the association, participants say they are able to work closely with Utah legislative leadership, government officials and elected representatives.

“The defense and aerospace industry is a very difficult industry to get into,” Kelly said. “You’ve got to have deep pockets, you’ve got to be very tenacious. And if you’re a small company, you need as much assistance as possible. That’s where 47G plays a role in helping small companies get into this space .”

His company’s technology, a controller mounted to a rifle, like a Roku remote for all the other devices on the soldier’s kit, was picked up by the Ukrainian military during a 47G trip last year. Kelly is now in serious talks with Taiwan’s military for potential orders.

Kelly said Utah’s reputation was firmly established before they set foot on Taiwanese soil, with government officials enthusiastic about the state’s “broad international focus,” and its large population of workers who can speak a second language, are well-educated and well-traveled.

Zhongquan Zheng, an engineering department head at Utah State University, said, “As universities, sometimes we don’t have such a broad spectrum of connections.” Zheng worked to establish pathways for Utah students to work and study in Taiwan and vice versa.

“When we look at a trade mission opportunity, like Taiwan, we want to send a balanced delegation,” Starks said. “Companies need to know who their buyers, partners, investors are. Cities and counties want to be able to take away best practices around defense and security.”

According to Starks, “Taiwan’s ability to protect itself and maintain its status as an independent society depends entirely on the United States.”

“It’s very austere,” he said, “but Utah has a very important role to play nationwide.”