Taiwan’s Lessons from Ukraine: AI, Democracy, and Global Misconceptions

Olga Nesterova
1 day ago
5 min read

A conversation with Dr. Yuh-Jye Lee, Senior Advisor to Taiwan’s National Security Council

Full Transcript

Olga (Host): Hello, and welcome back to ONEST Network. My name is Olga Nesterova, the founder of the network and a global affairs analyst. During United Nations General Assembly week, I sat down with Dr Lee, Senior Advisor to Taiwan's National Security Council, right here in New York at the Concordia Summit.

As the world navigates growing uncertainty, Taiwan’s voice is becoming increasingly critical. We spoke about lessons learned from Ukraine, the role of AI and innovation in Taiwan’s future, and what Western audiences often misunderstand—or overlook—about Taiwan’s global importance. This is part of our special coverage of UNGA 80. Let’s get into it.

Olga: First and foremost, thank you so much for doing this. I truly appreciate this conversation. My first question is: what do you believe is most misunderstood about Taiwan's current position on the global stage?

Dr Lee: I think the Western society understands Taiwan quite well, but because of China, some people just don’t want to face the reality. They don’t want to face the truth. Some people say Taiwan may be a part of China, but it’s not the current status.

If everyone can see Taiwan’s role in the world, we contribute a lot. But until now, we are not a member of the UN, and that’s really unfair to Taiwan. Taiwan is a very harmless country. We never make trouble for the world, but we want to protect ourselves, to stand firm in order to keep our lifestyle, democracy, freedom. We want to protect humanity and everything.

We believe that Taiwan’s values align with the Western values. So I hope everyone can face reality. Everyone should know the truth.

Olga: And how has Taiwan's defense planning evolved in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine?

Dr Lee: It’s really sad, but I still want to take this opportunity to express my support for Ukraine. Before the war, many Taiwanese people didn’t want to face the truth that war might come to Taiwan. But after the Ukraine war, the government began to discuss it, and after we discussed it, we knew how to prepare for it.

Right now, President Lai initiated a whole-of-society review committee. In that committee, we think about the worst scenario, and we know how to prepare if the crisis comes to us. Last week we just issued a “Little Orange Book” with some guidelines for Taiwanese people: if the worst scenario comes, what we should do, how to find a way to survive, how to protect our own country.

Maybe the biggest lesson we learned from Ukraine is about data. Originally, we did not allow data to go out of Taiwan—including health data and financial data. But according to Ukraine’s experience, in a worst-case scenario, all the data centers in Taiwan might be destroyed. So we made a big step—we moved data out of Taiwan. We prepare for the worst scenario, but we still believe we will win at the end of the war, so we can restore everything.

Olga: Taiwan is the world leader in semiconductors, and now a growing force in AI. How is innovation shaping your national strategy, both in terms of security and society?

Dr Lee: I would say the innovation in Ukraine is amazing. We see that Ukraine demonstrated that the immune system is very important, especially for drones, UAVs. Since you are trying to survive, you can have a two- or three-week life cycle to invent new drones. That’s really amazing.

To be honest, in Taiwan we want to learn from Ukraine—how to make such quick innovation in a short period of time. Although we know Ukraine is trying to survive, in Taiwan we are relatively lucky. We have time to prepare and to learn.

Currently, our government is building up our own strong industry and defense system. We believe we have the advantage in semiconductors. If we know the algorithm we need, we can build it into the chips. That’s Taiwan’s advantage.

We also believe AI in defense is our future—it is the way to save our country. I believe we still have a lot of room to make progress.

Olga: How is Taiwan working to ensure that technological advancement, especially in AI, is paired with democratic values and public trust?

Dr Lee: Taiwan is very different from China. If we only look at the technology, I have to admit that China’s AI may be leading. But they apply AI in a very different direction.

In China, they have the so-called social credit system. They use AI to control their people. In Taiwan, we try to make AI transparent and trustworthy. It is very important to earn the people’s trust. Our government never uses AI technology to monitor people.

If you want to apply AI technology, you have to put humans in the center. You have to consider human rights. With that kind of value, you respect human privacy and design it into your AI. But in China, they never consider AI from a human point of view. They only use AI to control people and to invade other countries.

Olga: If you could speak directly to Western citizens, not just governments, what would you want them to better understand about Taiwan today?

Dr Lee: I think most Western citizens understand Taiwan quite well. I would like to welcome all Western citizens to come to Taiwan. They will find that Taiwanese people are very friendly, and we welcome all different cultures.

In Taiwan, you can find elements from South Korea, from Japan, from the United States, even from the EU. So I believe Western citizens know Taiwan, but I really hope they understand China’s real intentions. We should pay attention to China, because a lot of China’s policies hurt human rights. And we should also support Taiwan to protect our common values.

Olga: And finally, what drives you personally to do this work, and what gives you hope in these uncertain times?

Dr Lee: My background—I was a university professor and a researcher. My life was quite simple. But I had the unusual opportunity to join the National Security Council. With my background in AI and cybersecurity, I appreciate this chance. I can use my professional knowledge to serve my country.

Not everyone has this opportunity. I know this is a critical moment. I want to do my best to protect my country, protect my family, and let my son create the investment that I have.

Olga: Thank you so much for this opportunity to speak with you and learn from you.

Dr Lee: Thank you so much.

Olga: And thank you for watching. My sincere gratitude goes to Dr Lee and his incredible team for allowing us to learn from him. See you back on ONEST Network.

Key Takeaways from Dr Lee, Senior Advisor to Taiwan’s National Security Council

Taiwan’s values align with the West: Despite Chinese pressure, Taiwan remains committed to democracy, freedom, and human rights.
UN exclusion is unfair: Taiwan contributes globally but is still blocked from UN membership.
Lessons from Ukraine: The war pushed Taiwan to openly discuss worst-case scenarios, prepare society, and even move critical data out of the island to ensure continuity.
Defense planning: A new “Little Orange Book” guides citizens on how to act if conflict comes.
Innovation in war: Taiwan is learning from Ukraine’s rapid drone and defense innovations while leveraging its own semiconductor advantage to embed AI into security.
AI with democracy: Taiwan insists AI must be transparent, privacy-focused, and human-centered—unlike China’s use of AI for social control.
Message to the West: Western citizens are welcome in Taiwan, and they should pay close attention to China’s intentions and support Taiwan in defending shared values.
Personal motivation: Dr Lee draws on his academic background in AI and cybersecurity to serve at a critical moment, driven by the desire to protect his country, family, and future generations.