Taiwan in talks with Amazon Kuiper for communication satellites to counter China threat, also planning a rocket test site

Representative image | Taiwan is also developing plans to launch own rockets over the next few years, and Minister Cheng-wen said a new rocket testing site will be announced by March next year.

Taiwan is aspiring for capabilities in communication satellites, and has been holding negotiations with Amazon's space broadband initiative Project Kuiper, as well as gearing up to launch a new rocket testing site by March next year, to develop resilience against any potential threat to its telecom network from China.

Taiwan's technology minister Wu Cheng-wen has said the existing OneWeb network of satellites, operated by Eutelsat in partnership with state-run Chunghwa Telecom, is short of bandwidth and hence the country has been holding negotiations with Amazon Kuiper.

"Amazon's Kuiper is the most mature in the development stage so far, so we are discussing at this moment whether its possible to have a collaboration," Wu said on December 17.

Next year, Kuiper has plans to launch a constellation of more than 3,000 satellites, similar to one that in place from Elon Musk's Starlink Services. Musk has in the past backed China's official position that Taiwan is an integral part of the country, and operates significant businesses inside China.

Taiwan is also developing plans to launch own rockets over the next few years, and Minister Cheng-wen said a new rocket testing site will be announced by March next year. The site will take about five years before it becomes operational, he added.

Minister Cheng-wen underscored that Taiwan has very strong electronic manufacturing ecosystem, and the country has ambitions to integrate further in the global satellite supply chain and partner with other countries in space technology.

To this effect, Taiwan has developed a 'Long-range Plan' which involves investments of more than $800 billion over 10 years, and is likely to be implemented by 2028.