TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's drone training academy for allied nations will complete legal registration next week and begin training pilots from three Pacific allies as early as late 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Tuesday (Sept. 15), marking a milestone in Taipei's effort to build international partnerships around unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) outside Chinese supply chains.
The Global UAV Academy, known by its acronym GUAVA (無人機國際學院), has already received preparatory approval and expects court registration next week, Chiang Zhen-wei (江振瑋), chief executive director of the ministry's NGO International Affairs Committee, said at a weekly press briefing.
"All of its funding comes from the private sector, 100 percent private capital," Chiang said.
The foundation's leadership will be selected by private sector stakeholders, not appointed by the ministry or the Industrial Technology Research Institute (工研院), he added, while declining to identify the funders.
"The planned timeline should be the end of this year at the earliest, or early next year at the latest, to begin," Chiang continued.
The academy plans to establish physical offices in Taipei and Chiayi by year's end. Overseas branches would be set up "as needed" depending on cooperation frequency with partner countries.
The initiative is part of Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung's (林佳龍) "drone diplomacy" strategy, launched in 2025, aiming to position Taiwan as a hub for UAV training, certification and maintenance outside Chinese-dominated supply chains.
In May, the academy's preparatory office signed a cooperation letter of intent with the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) in the United States. In July, it signed a similar agreement with the Japan Drone Consortium (JDC).
Lin led Taiwan's delegation to the 55th Pacific Islands Forum in Palau last month. On Sept. 2, he joined Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr., Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine and Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo in signing a joint statement pledging cooperation on climate change, healthcare, agriculture, digital transformation and talent development.
In a virtual press briefing Tuesday, the U.S. State Department also expressed support for Taiwan's participation in the Forum. Deputy Assistant Secretary Matt Murray said Washington "strongly supports Taiwan's continued participation" as a development partner since 1992. He added that the U.S. opposes "China's efforts to pressure countries to sever or downgrade ties with Taiwan."
Taiwan currently maintains formal diplomatic ties with 12 countries, including Palau, the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu. The other allies are Belize, Guatemala, Paraguay, Haiti, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Eswatini and Vatican City.
Details on GUAVA's board composition and the identity of donors were not immediately available. ◼