Wu Shang-Su is a Research Fellow with the Regional Security Architecture Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His research interests include defence issues in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and railway networks in international relations. He obtained his PhD from the New South Wales University, Australia, and a Master in International Relations from the National Taiwan University. Before joining RSIS, he had worked at the National Defense University and the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan.

• Small States’ Security
• Security Issues of Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Taiwan
• People’s Liberation Army.

• Assistant Professor, National Defense University, Taiwan, 2013-Present

Policy Reports

• Public Policy Implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for Singapore

  20 December, 2017

Commentaries

• Taiwan and India: Building Bigger Together?

  06 May, 2021

• CO18034 | ‘Indo-Pacific’ vs ‘Asia-Pacific’: Contending Visions?

  28 February, 2018

• CO17020 | Frictions on the New Silk Road

  25 January, 2017

• CO16188 | The Singapore-KL High Speed Rail: Tracking the Challenges Ahead

  22 July, 2016

• CO16030 | Ageing Arsenals in Southeast Asia: Impact on Military Modernisation

  10 February, 2016

• CO15202 | Taiwan’s Continued Conscription: An Unresolved Problem

  23 September, 2015

• CO15108 | Russia’s Railroad Technology: New Source for Southeast Asia?

  06 May, 2015

• CO14071 | Taiwan’s Indigenous Submarine: A Viable Project?

  16 April, 2014

• CO14051 | Taiwan’s Defence: Towards an All-Volunteer Military?

  17 March, 2014

Authored Books

• The Defence Capabilities of Small States: Singapore and Taiwan’s Responses to Strategic Desperation. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016

Journal Articles

• “Developmental Railpolitics: The Political Economy of China’s High-Speed Rail Projects in Thailand and Indonesia” (with Alan Chong) in Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol. 40, No. 3, 2018. pp. 503-526
• “Taiwan’s Defense under the Tsai Administration” in Asian Survey, Vol. 58, No. 4, 2018, pp. 704-725
• Wu, Shang-Su. "Vietnam: A Case of Military Obsolescence in Developing Countries,” The Pacific Review 2018, https://doi.org/10.1080/09512748.2018.1428676.
• Wu, Shang-Su. “The modern naval fortress: an additional sea denial option for coastal states,” Defence Studies, 18 (1), 2018, pp. 76-94.
• Wu, Shang-Su. "The Development of Vietnam’s Sea Denial Strategy,” Naval War College Review, 70 (1), 2017, pp. 143-161.
• Wu, Shang-Su, “Nuclear Disaster in Taiwan: a multidimensional security challenge”, Global Change, Peace & Security: formerly Pacifica Review: Peace, Security & Global Change, Vol. 28, Issue 3, 2016, pp. 289-305.
• Wu, Shang-Su. “Struggle for Basic Defence Capacity: The National Defence of the Philippines in the Post Marcos Era,” Taiwan Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 10(1): October 2014, pp. 71-108.
• Wu, Shang-Su. “Taiwan in the Cross Strait Arms Dynamics: Past and Present,” International Journal of China Studies, 5(1): April 2014, pp. 107-135.

Chapters in Edited Books

• “Lancang-Mekong cooperation: The current state of China’s hydro-politics” in Bhubhindar Singh and Sarah Teo (Eds.), Minilateralism in the Indo-Pacific: The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism, and ASEAN. Oxon: Routledge, 2020, pp. 74-87
• “Taiwan: The Strait Challenge” in Amit Gupta, Air Forces: The Next Generation. Hampshire: Howgate, 2020, pp. 290-314
• “Rail Developments Under the BRI” in Alan Chong and Quang Minh Pham, Critical Reflections on China’s Belt & Road Initiative. New York: Springer, 2020, pp. 95-122
• “Smart Taipei City: understanding policy motivations, approaches and implementation” in Yu-Min Joo and Teck-Boon Tan (Eds.), Smart Cities in Asia: Governing Development in the Era of Hyper-Connectivity. Surrey: Edward Elgar, 2020, pp. 61-77
• “Taiwan’s armed forces: development and prospects” in Benjamin Schreer and Andrew T. H. Tan (Eds.), The Taiwan Issue: Problems and Prospects. London: Routledge, 2019, pp. 156-173
• “Conscription in Taiwan: A Problematic Evolution” (with Ho Shu Huang) in Graham Ong-Webb and Shu Huang Ho (Eds.), National Service in Singapore. Singapore: World Scientific, 2019, pp. 229-249

Op-Eds

• “Vietnam’s Pandemic Countermeasure: An Essential Element of Deterrence”, Australian Outlook, 15 July 2020
• “Osprey in the archipelago: The deal of MV-22 to Indonesia”, The Jakarta Post, 14 July 2020
• “Modernising the Philippine Navy”, East Asia Forum, 8 July 2020
• “Taiwan and China attempt civility in coronavirus crisis”, Nikkei Asian Review, 7 April 2020
• “Cruise control? Securitizing luxury cruise ships in times of coronavirus” (with Alan Chong), The Jakarta Post, 29 February 2020
• “Indonesia’s Burgeoning Railway Diplomacy”, The Diplomat, 27 February 2020
• “ADMM-Plus Exercises: A Platform for Power Competition?”, Australian Outlook, 22 January 2020
• “Belt and rail: New Vietnam-China train aims to put relations on track”, The Interpreter, 15 January 2020
• “Japan’s Overseas Railway-building Heightens Rivalry with China”, Nikkei Asian Review, 30 October 2019
• “Is Japan’s Rail Diplomacy in Southeast Asia Moving Away From Shinkansen?”, The Diplomat, 23 October 2019. Republished in The Japan Times
• “Undersea Surveillance: Supplementing the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Outlook”, Center for International Maritime Security, 3 September 2019
• “What Indonesia’s Submarine Purchase Tells Us About Its Strategic Priorities”, Australian Outlook, 3 June 2019
• “Why New Submarines Alone Won’t Save Taiwan from China”, The National Interest, 18 May 2019
• “Malaysia’s Military Modernisation: A Reset Under the New Government?”, GBP Aerospace & Defence, 25 March 2019
• “China’s Social Credit System: the black market and inequalities”, The Interpreter, 18 March 2019
• “Kazakhstan: a growing rail hub”, Policy Forum, 18 March 2019
• “Myanmar: A New Pattern of China-Japan Interactions?”, The Diplomat, 13 February 2019
• “The Trouble With the Lancang Mekong Cooperation Forum”, The Diplomat, 19 December 2018
• “Coast Guard build-up: Taiwan’s approach to the South China Sea”, Taiwan Insight, 16 October 2018
• “Redundancy and Risk Management: Lessons from Japan’s Disasters for Southeast Asian Infrastructure”, The Diplomat, 7 September 2018
• “Competition and Neutrality of Southeast Asian States in Indo-Pacific Strategy”, Center for International Maritime Security, 22 August 2018
• Teck-Boon Tan and Shang-Su Wu. “Policy Ramifications of Industry 4.0.” Global-Is-Asian, 30 January 2018. http://global-is-asian.nus.edu.sg/index.php/policy-ramifications-industry-4-0/
• Wu, Shang-Su, "The Weak Points in Vietnam's Military", The Diplomat, 27 June 2017.
• “Myanmar’s Military Modernisation: Impressive, but Challenges Ahead” (with Eddie Lim), RUSI Defence Systems, 2 March 2017
• Ho, Ben and Wu Shang-Su. "Taiwan's Interest in Aegis Warships: Would They Make Operational Sense During Cross-Strait Hostilities?", RUSI Defence Systems, October 31, 2016. https://rusi.org/publication/rusi-defence-systems/taiwan’s-interest-aegis-warships-would-they-make-operational-sense.
• Wu Shang-Su, "Singapore-Kunming Rail Link: A 'Belt and Road' Case Study", The Diplomat, 17 June 2016.
• Wu, Shang-Su, “Taiwan’s New President Will Have to Play Nice with China,” The National Interest, May 24, 2016.
• Wu Shang-Su, “Malaysia’s Antique Arms: Moderate but Continuous”, Daily News: Asian Defence Technology, 15th Defence Services Asia Exhibition & Conference 2016, April 19, 2016.
• Wu, Shang-Su, "Aquino's Military Modernization: Unprecedented But Insufficient", The Diplomat, March 23, 2016.
• Wu, Shang-Su, "Taiwan's South China Sea Dilemma", The Diplomat, February 12, 2016.
• Wu, Shang-Su. “Commentary: The Gradual Undermining of Taiwan,” Defense News, February 9, 2015.
• Wu, Shang-Su. “Opposition Ascendancy Won’t Release Taiwan from China’s Grip,” the Diplomat, December 8, 2014.
• Wu, Shang-Su. “A Possible Nuclear Disaster in Taiwan: An International Crisis in East Asia,” Australian Outlook, August 6, 2014.
• Wu, Shang-Su. “Naval Fortresses: An Old Concept for a New Era?” the Diplomat, August 5, 2014.
• Wu, Shang-Su. “Asia-Pacific: A Step toward Historical Déjà Vu?” the Diplomat, July 12, 2014.
• Wu, Shang-Su. “Taiwan: An Emerging Asset for Chinese Expansion?”, the Diplomat, June 3, 2014
• Wu, Shang-Su. “Taiwan in the Cross Strait Arms Dynamics: Past and Present”, International Journal of China Studies, 5(1), April 2014, pp. 107-135.
• Wu, Shang-Su. “Indigenous Submarine an Unlikely Dream for Taiwan”, the Diplomat, March 21, 2014.
• Wu, Shang-Su. “Diaspora + Fait Accompli: A New Formula for Force Projection?”, the Diplomat, March 13, 2014.
• Wu, Shang-Su. “Taiwan: Another Step Towards Integration?”, the Diplomat, January 27, 2014.
• Wu, Shang-Su. “Taiwan’s All-Volunteer Military”, the Diplomat, December 25, 2013.
• Wu, Shang-Su. “Beijing Priming Itself as A Norm Maker”, the Strait Times, December 6, 2013.
• Wu, Shang-Su. “Typhoon Haiyan and the Philippine Military,” the Diplomat, November 25, 2013.