US Federal Communications Commissioner Visits Taiwan for Talks on Cybersecurity Cooperation

Brendan Carr, commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission, testifies during a House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee hearing in Washington on March 31, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Brendan Carr, commissioner of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), is visiting Taiwan this week to discuss cybersecurity cooperation, making him the first sitting FCC member to visit the self-ruled island.

In an interview with Axios, Carr said that he will meet with officials from Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry and National Communications Commission, citing the importance of Taiwan’s chip industry to U.S. economic growth.

“Given my position at the FCC, I look forward in particular to deepening the collaboration with Taiwan and sharing views on network resiliency, cyber, and telecom issues that are vital to our shared security interests,” he told Axios.

Carr confirmed to The Epoch Times that he arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday for a three-day visit.

Carr, one of the five FCC members, is known for his tough stance on China. He previously raised national security concerns about the Chinese video app TikTok and urged the Council on Foreign Investment in the United States to ban the app.

The commissioner said that his visit to Taiwan would demonstrate that Taiwan’s democracy and freedom from the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “brutal authoritarianism” is vital to the United States.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, even as Taiwan is a sovereign nation with a democratically elected government. The CCP has vowed to conquer Taiwan by force if necessary.

The CCP initiated military drills near Taiwan after a controversial visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in August, firing multiple ballistic missiles over Taiwan and imposing a blockade of its international sea.

Dependence on Taiwan-Made Chips

Li Pao-wen, a professor at National Sun Yat-sen University’s Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies, said at an Oct. 5 forum that Taiwan is currently “an asset rather than a burden” to the United States in the U.S.–China strategic rivalry.

He said that nearly 80 percent of the chips in the United States come from Taiwan, and the two countries have deep commercial and economic links as well as shared democratic values and goals.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. accounts for 53.4 percent of the foundry market, making it the world’s largest contract chip manufacturer. The company is also a major supplier to Apple Inc.

Yun Yun Huang contributed to this report.