Dealing with PRC Economic Influence through Grassroots and Government

Event Description:

The Global Taiwan Institute (GTI) is pleased to invite you to a panel discussion titled “Dealing with PRC Economic Influence through Grassroots and Government Action.”

Beijing’s enhanced control over People’s Republic of China (PRC) businesses has allowed it to pair political statecraft with PRC economic expansion. Societies seeking economic relations with the PRC must shield themselves from political demands from Beijing and excessive dependence on Chinese trade. This Global Taiwan Institute panel will bring together stakeholders from civil society in Taiwan, USAID, and the international NGO space to discuss how governments and grassroots actors can implement strategies to relieve PRC economic influence and enhance sovereignty. Min-yen Chiang of the Economic Democracy Union, a Taiwanese civil society group, will share how his organization innovatively uncovers attempts by PRC firms to circumvent Taiwanese investment regulations. Francisco Bencosme, China Policy Lead at USAID, will discuss how USAID combats non-transparent PRC development practices across the world by offering stable alternatives. Subnational governments and local businesses often lack understanding of coercive PRC business activity, and Zoë Weaver-Lee will present the work of the East-West Center in raising awareness of best practices for safe interaction with PRC firms.

The event will be held at GTI’s office located at 1836 Jefferson Place NW in Washington DC (approximately one block from the Dupont Circle Metro). Doors will open at 11:30 AM, and the event will begin at 12:00 PM. If you plan on attending in-person, please RSVP by October 21, as seating is limited. Light refreshments will be provided. Please direct questions or concerns to Program Manager Adrienne Wu at [email protected].

**Media: Please contact Adrienne Wu at [email protected] if you would like to bring additional crew members or equipment, so that we can be sure to accommodate you.

The Panelists:

Min-yen Chiang is a non-resident fellow at the Taiwan Economic Democracy Union, where he focuses on China's economic coercion towards Taiwan, and at the Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), where he specializes in economic security and the semiconductor industry. He is deeply committed to values such as freedom, equality, solidarity, and sustainability, with extensive experience in legal and policy reform advocacy. Over the years, Chiang has been actively engaged in Hong Kong's human rights and democracy movements and currently serves on the editorial board of Flow HK, a publication dedicated to the global Hong Kong diaspora.

Francisco Bencosme (he, him, his) is a Senior Policy Advisor and China Policy Lead for the United States Agency for International Development. In this role he is the principal advisor for the Administrator on issues relating to the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan. Prior to joining USAID, Francisco was the Deputy to the Special Presidential Envoy for Compact of Free Association negotiations, helping conclude three 20-year Compact agreements with the Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau in the Pacific Islands. Concurrently, he was the Senior Advisor to Assistant Secretary for East Asian and the Pacific Affairs (EAP) Dan Kritenbrink where he advised on strategic planning, speechwriting, democracy and human rights and other cross-cutting issues. Before joining the Biden/Harris Administration, he was a Senior Policy Advisor at the Open Society Foundations covering Asia and Latin America. During his time at Amnesty International USA, Francisco led the US human rights policy and advocacy program towards the Asia Pacific. Francisco has testified before Congress and has provided media commentary on multiple outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. In 2018, Francisco was named one of The Hill’s Top 2018 Lobbyist for their campaign on Myanmar Rohingya issues. Before joining AIUSA, he served as a Professional Staff Member on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he assisted Democratic Senators on issues related to East Asia/Pacific, South Asia, and State Department/USAID oversight. Francisco also served as the President of the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association and as a board member of the Foreign Affairs Congressional Staff Association. Francisco is also a Council on Foreign Relations Term Member, Truman Security Fellow, a Penn-Kemble Fellow, and an International Career Advancement Program alum. Francisco received his Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, a graduate certificate from the USAF Air University, and his BA from Wake Forest University.

Zoë Weaver-Lee is programs coordinator at the East-West Center in Washington and a former program associate at the Global Taiwan Institute. Her research focuses on Taiwan’s foreign assistance policy and China's economic influence in the Indo-Pacific. Zoë has participated in renowned programs such as the Taiwan-US Policy Program, and has presented her research at the North American Taiwan Studies Association conference. She will also be co-authoring a book chapter on Taiwan’s aid programs under President Tsai Ing-wen to be published in 2025. Zoë graduated from Stetson University in 2019 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Global Development and minored in Political Science and Asian Studies. During her time at Stetson, she spent two semesters in South Korea and Taiwan, after which she was awarded the Maris Prize for Undergraduate Research for her study regarding Taiwanese democratic development.

The Moderator:

Benjamin Sando is a research fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute. He was previously a research fellow at the Taiwan NGO Doublethink Lab, investigating PRC foreign influence strategies for the China Index project. He is concurrently a master’s student within the Georgetown School of Foreign Service Asian Studies program. Ben previously worked for two years in Seoul, South Korea, in research positions at the ROK National Assembly Research Service and the Yonsei Institute for Sinology. He is proficient in Korean and Mandarin. A dual US-UK citizen, Ben grew up in London before moving to California to earn a BA in international relations at Stanford University.

Host or Publisher Global Taiwan Institute