[Politics] Cheng Mei-ling: Accelerate Promotion of Non-Red Supply Chain for Unmanned Vehicles to Build Key Strategic Industries

The Executive Yuan announced today (17th) in a press release that Vice Premier Cheng Mei-ling chaired the Executive Yuan's "Special Meeting on the Development and Management Mechanism of the Unmanned Vehicle Industry" on the 12th, discussing topics such as the international alignment of drone cybersecurity testing, unmanned vehicle testing sites, procurement mechanisms, and the legal framework for surface and underwater unmanned vehicles. Cheng Mei-ling stated that in the face of the rapid development of the global unmanned vehicle industry, the government will continue to optimize the regulatory environment, improve inspection processes and testing sites, strengthen industry promotion measures, promote government procurement mechanisms for a fully non-red supply chain, and enhance the competitiveness of Taiwan's drone industry. The Executive Yuan pointed out that the government launched the coordinating mechanism for the "Special Meeting on the Development and Management Mechanism of the Unmanned Vehicle Industry" in August 2024. In January 2025, it established three major policy objectives: "Industry Development, National Defense Autonomy, and Democratic Supply Chain." Based on five major strategies including "Expanding domestic and international demand to guide industry development," "Technology development and international linkage," "Forming an industrial cluster ecosystem," "Establishing usage regulations and promoting cybersecurity testing," and "Enhancing the defense resilience of the entire society," the government is promoting the goal of implementing a fully non-red supply chain by 2027. Premier Cho Jung-tai approved the "Coordinated Plan for the Development of the Unmanned Vehicle Industry" in October 2025, with an investment of NT$44.2 billion over six years. This plan aims to guide technological innovation and supply chain autonomy through systematic strategies, with the hope of making Taiwan the Asia-Pacific center for the democratic supply chain of drones. Cheng Mei-ling stated that in terms of optimizing the regulatory environment, various ministries and agencies have completed several important foundational legal tasks. These include the Ministry of Transportation and Communications amending and issuing the "Regulations on the Management of Remotely Piloted Aircraft" in December 2024, and the Digital Development Ministry establishing the "Cybersecurity Testing Specifications for Remotely Piloted Aircraft." In 2025, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Ocean Affairs Council completed the "Management Regulations for the Safety of Specific Testing Waters for Surface and Underwater Unmanned Vehicles" and the "Guidelines for the Use of Space for Surface/Underwater Unmanned Vehicle Sea Testing Activities." In 2026, the Executive Yuan's Public Construction Commission will issue the "Procurement Operation Guidelines for Remotely Piloted Aircraft," the Digital Development Ministry and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications will issue the "Cybersecurity Testing Specifications for Drone Countermeasure Systems," and the Executive Yuan will issue the "Drone Property Management Regulations." She added that it is expected that by July of this year, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications' "General Safety Management Regulations for Surface and Underwater Unmanned Vehicles" will be completed. By the end of this year, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications will submit an amendment to the "Ship Act," and the Ocean Affairs Council will submit the "Act for the Management of Maritime Space Use" to the Executive Yuan for review. Cheng Mei-ling pointed out that the Executive Yuan has inventoried 18 small and medium-sized and 2 large drone testing sites since August 2025, as well as a dedicated testing airspace at the Liujia-Wushantou Reservoir in the southern campus of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). Additionally, 14 water testing sites have been established, and the designation of some offshore testing sites is currently underway to improve the construction of unmanned vehicle testing sites. Regarding cybersecurity testing, Cheng Mei-ling stated that the Digital Development Ministry and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications amended the "Cybersecurity Testing Specifications for Remotely Piloted Aircraft" on April 30, 2025, officially adopting national standards that align with EU regulations. They also concurrently recognize the US Green UAS certification and incorporate a testing mechanism for products of the same specification and architecture, avoiding redundant testing and significantly simplifying the submission process for businesses, thereby reducing testing costs. Furthermore, ITRI signed a cooperation agreement with the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) in January of this year, becoming a US-authorized third-party accredited assessment body. The assessment body officially began operations on June 4th, making Taiwan the first Green UAS accredited assessment point outside the United States. In the future, domestic businesses can complete Green UAS-related cybersecurity verification and assessment procedures directly in Taiwan, effectively shortening product time-to-market and reducing verification costs. Cheng Mei-ling indicated that the Executive Yuan has instructed relevant ministries and agencies to study the establishment of an integrated inspection procedure mechanism for drones weighing 2 to 25 kilograms, covering flight safety, low-power radio frequency, and information security. This initiative aims for a single-window approach and streamlined processes, reducing overall administrative timelines to a reasonable range. Cheng Mei-ling emphasized that the Executive Yuan aims to achieve a fully non-red supply chain by 2027. Drones used by government agencies should be prioritized for accelerated transition towards non-red sourcing, and relevant procurement management mechanisms should be implemented. The Executive Yuan's Public Construction Commission has established and issued the "Procurement Operation Guidelines for Remotely Piloted Aircraft," which include provisions for government agencies to specify in procurement contracts that companies with Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau capital are prohibited from participating in procurement, and that members of the execution team must not be of Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau nationality. Concurrently, for drone components where domestic production capacity is insufficient, relevant ministries and agencies are requested to actively assist in development and support mass production to gradually achieve the goal of a fully non-red supply chain. Additionally, to cope with the rapid advancement of drone technology, the procurement guidelines also incorporate a mechanism for technological iteration. Cheng Mei-ling stated that Taiwan's drone industry output value grew from NT$5 billion in 2024 to NT$12.9 billion in 2025, an overall increase of over 2.5 times. Among this, the export value of complete aircraft grew from NT$140 million in 2024 to NT$2.95 billion in 2025, an increase of 21 times. In the first quarter of this year, the export value of complete aircraft already exceeded the total for the entire previous year. President Lai Ching-te, attending the "Taiwan Excellent Drone Overseas Business Alliance Assembly" on June 9th, specifically instructed the Executive Yuan to comprehensively review and relax regulatory restrictions to create a favorable environment for drone development. Cheng Mei-ling pointed out that in response to the rapid growth of the global unmanned vehicle industry and the trend of supply chain restructuring, the Executive Yuan will continue to expand the diverse applications and industrial output of drones, and strive to make Taiwan a key partner in the global democratic supply chain. In the future, it will also integrate key innovative applications such as next-generation communication and AI, continuously revise relevant policies, and promote the vigorous development of Taiwan's domestic drone industry. She emphasized that the central government's budget for this year has comprehensively planned for key unmanned vehicle technologies, cybersecurity testing, regulatory system construction, testing environment improvement, and industrial chain upgrading. Related projects require stable and sufficient budget support to help Taiwan build another key strategic industry beyond the semiconductor industry. It is hoped that the Legislative Yuan will expedite the review of the government's budget for this year.