Strait Forward

It's Taiwan's most famous export in a cup, but behind every chewy tapioca pearl is a global business story of culture, competition, and surprising technology. In this episode, host Channing Lee talks about all things boba with Greg Chen, CEO of International Business and Chief Investment Officer for the group behind Sharetea and Unique Green (UG) Tea, two of Taiwan's biggest bubble tea brands. They cover where boba came from, how the drink became a worldwide phenomenon and a symbol of Taiwanese culture, why Chinese chains flooding the market pose a growing competitive threat, and how AI-powered machines are helping stores leap from 100 cups a day to thousands. Producer Bobby Owens also tries boba for the very first time.

Keep up with SCSP on our website and social media: 

https://www.scsp.ai/ 

https://www.youtube.com/@SCSPAI 

https://www.instagram.com/scsp.ai/?hl=en 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/specialcompetitivestudiesproject/posts/ 

https://substack.com/@scsp/notes 

https://www.tiktok.com/@scsp.ai 

https://x.com/scsp_ai

Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.

As the United States and Taiwan deepen their semiconductor partnership, can they build a talent pipeline resilient enough to sustain it? Recorded live in Orlando at the 2026 U.S.-Taiwan Semiconductor Higher Education Networking Event, on the sidelines of the NAFSA: Association of International Educators 2026 Annual Conference, host Channing Lee sits down with three university leaders shaping that future: Dr. Lin Chi-Hung, President of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan; Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson, President of San Jose State University in the heart of Silicon Valley; and Dr. Reza Abdolvand, Professor and Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Central Florida. Fresh off the signing of a new memorandum of understanding, they dig past the buzzwords into what an education partnership really requires, from micro-credentials to cross-border student exchanges, why education may be the ultimate win-win in U.S.-Taiwan relations, and how each side defines success.

Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.

Taiwan's Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs, Chia-Lin Yang, joins host Channing Lee live at the AI+ Expo for a conversation on Taiwan's ambitions to become an “AI island” grounded in democratic values. They discuss the mission of Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs (moda), the country's Ten AI Initiative, and the challenge of building a competitive software ecosystem to match Taiwan's already dominant hardware capabilities. Deputy Minister Yang also reflects on AI governance, cybersecurity priorities, and what it will take to push Taiwan's digital transformation from prototype to widespread adoption.

Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.

Channing Lee hosts a live conversation at the 2026 AI+ Expo Bookstore with historian Eyck Freymann, a Hoover Fellow at Stanford University. Drawing from Freymann’s new book, Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China, the discussion delves into the "deterrence stack," a multi-layered defense framework encompassing political, military, strategic, and economic pillars. Freymann explains that while the United States is well-prepared for conventional military scenarios, it remains vulnerable to gray-zone tactics and economic coercion, making a comprehensive strategy essential for navigating future cross-strait crises.

Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.

At the 2026 AI+ Expo, host Channing Lee speaks with Doublethink Lab Founder and CEO Ttcat, Senior Analyst Jerry Yu, and Strategic Partnership Manager Dahyun Kim to expose the evolving tactics of PRC influence. From the alarming "GoLaxy Leak"—which revealed PRC state-backed AI profiling of Taiwan and U.S. citizens—to the "Borderless Group" content farms infiltrating social media, this episode pulls back the curtain on PRC foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI). The team discusses the critical role of democratic control over the AI supply chain and shares why human vigilance is still the best digital defense.

Strait Forward is a podcast by the Special Competitive Studies Project.