Dr Wu Shang-Su

Wu Shang-su obtained a PhD degree from the New South Wales University, Australia, and a master degree of international relations from the National Taiwan University. Before joining the 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

• 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

• Wu, Shang Su, The Defence Capabilities of Small States: Singapore and Taiwan’s Responses to Strategic Desperation. Palgrave Macmillan UK, 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

• “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

• “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.
• Lim, Eddie and Wu, Shang-Su, "Myanmar's Military Modernisation: Impressive, but Challenges Ahead", RUSI Defence Systems, 2 March 2017. Available at: https://rusi.org/publication/rusi-defence-systems/myanmar%E2%80%99s-military-modernisation-impressive-challenges-ahead.
• 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.