Jinming Chairman Cai Xiangfeng (center) explains the specifications of its military drones to President Lai Qingde.
From iPod components to military drones, another new track is emerging in Taiwan's technology manufacturing industry. Germany's Handelsblatt recently pointed out that Taiwan's listed company Jin Ming (3230) was an example. This supplier, which was certified by Apple in the past and participated in iPod manufacturing, has now invested in military drones and entered the defense market from consumer electronics. German media believe that Jinming's transformation represents a "national trend"; and in recent years, the Taiwan government has been actively combining the energy of private industries such as semiconductors, AI, and information communications to create an independent supply chain for drones and national defense.
"Business Daily" recently conducted an in-depth report from the perspective of Taiwan's response to China's military threat. The article focuses on Jinming at the beginning, pointing out the changes in the geostrategic environment, which can be clearly seen when walking into this company.
The report pointed out that Jinming used to be an excellent supplier of picture tubes and was also recognized as a supplier of Apple's music player iPod; but now the products displayed by the company are completely different. Jinming displayed a small four-rotor military drone called "Viper", alongside a prototype of a jet-powered lightweight fixed-wing drone, and both were "Made in Taiwan."
The report believes that the transformation of Jin Ming, a listed company, represents a "national trend" in Taiwan. Amid the competition between the two major powers, the United States and China, this global center for the chip and computer industries is strengthening its defense capabilities from both a military and social psychological level. Alson Chien, general manager of Jin Ming, said the company believes it can contribute to protecting Taiwan's democracy in its own way.
This shift is also bringing Taiwan’s technology supply chain closer to the international military industry. Stephan Ebner, a German lawyer in Taiwan, pointed out that he currently mainly assists companies interested in military industry transactions. "Cooperation already exists" between Taiwan and overseas companies, and cooperation is increasing. Especially after Germany re-emphasizes the military industry, related exchanges have attracted more attention.
Ebner said that the U.S. industry has already taken the lead. Taiwan and the United States have close exchanges of military technology and a lot of cooperation in the field of new weapons. One of the reasons is that Taiwan has strength in drones and electronic warfare.
The layout of Anduril, an American defense technology company, is more specific. Anduril founder Palmer Luckey attended the 2026 Presidential Palace International Forum on Social Defense Resilience and said that the interest connection between American companies and Taiwan is deepening. In addition to large technology companies such as Huida and Google investing heavily in Taiwan, Anduril itself has nearly 100 Taiwanese suppliers.
Luckey believes that the more American companies like Anduril increase their exposure to Taiwan, the more likely the U.S. government will view the loss of Taiwan as an outcome that the United States cannot afford. Luckey regards Taiwan as Anduril's research and development partner, which shows that Taiwan's original technological manufacturing capabilities are forming new connections with the international defense technology industry.
The report said that Taiwan’s current defense thinking is not to pursue defeating China, but to significantly increase the cost of China’s invasion across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan has a population of only about 23 million, and its own strength may not be enough to provide a complete deterrent. Therefore, in addition to the United States, it also hopes to prove that it has more international partners.
And drones are becoming an important part of it. The report quoted Hung Ou Yang, a lawyer who was a former military police officer, saying that five years ago he believed that Taiwan could only survive for three days if it was attacked by China. However, the development of drones in recent years alone makes him believe that Taiwan is now capable of sustaining it for a longer period of time, buying time for possible assistance from the United States and Japan.
As geopolitics, security needs and the technology industry gradually converge, Taiwan's manufacturing energy, which originally served the global consumer electronics, computer and semiconductor industries, is also establishing increasingly close connections with the international military industry and defense technology supply chains.
