In Season 7, Episode 4 of the Global Taiwan Insights podcast, Ben Sando interviews Representative Ami Bera of California, the Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific. In a first video podcast for Global Taiwan Insights, Sando asks Rep. Bera about his expectations for the upcoming summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Washington. Rep. Bera explains how he first came to work on Taiwan policy in Congress, and how he leads other lawmakers towards greater engagement with the island as co-chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus. Finally, Rep. Bera shares political advice on how 2028 presidential candidates can balance support for Taiwan’s defense alongside their “kitchen table” messages about affordability and the cost of living.

In Season 7, Episode 3 of Global Taiwan Insights, Ben Sando interviews Dr. Brett Benson, Associate Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University, on his groundbreaking research into Chinese companies selling mass surveillance services to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Using leaks from two Chinese firms—Golaxy and Geedge—Benson has shed light on a private industry leveraging artificial intelligence to conduct massive surveillance of citizens in China, Taiwan, the United States, and around the world. Dr. Benson discusses how such Chinese companies are not only marketing their services to the CCP, but also to authoritarian governments beyond China’s borders.

In Season 7, Episode 2 of Global Taiwan Insights, Ben Sando and Eliza Cormier interview Lotta Danielsson, Executive Vice President of the US-Taiwan Business Council. Lotta shares how Taipei has stimulated investment in air- and sea-based drones that can prepare the island against a PRC attack. As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, Taiwanese drones have been delivered to Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines, challenging Taiwanese manufacturers to improve their technology.