Taiwan's former president Tsai Ing-wen is heading to the US for two high-profile talks at Stanford, a sign Washington's policy circles still want her voice on China and chip security.

• Tsai will give the opening keynote at Stanford's DEFCON technology and national security conference on the 7th.
• The next day she speaks at the Hoover Institution on democracy, resilience and global security.
• Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to introduce her, with a conversation to follow alongside Hoover's Larry Diamond.
• Organizers point to Taiwan's eight years under Tsai, when it tightened its grip on advanced chipmaking and deepened defense ties as pressure from Beijing grew.
• The framing puts Taiwan at the center of the chip supply chain, economic security and US-China strategic competition.

Outlook: Expect Beijing to object to the trip, and expect the remarks to be read closely for signals on Taiwan's chip leverage and defense posture.