Taiwan taps young blood for security council as it faces Beijing and Trump

Taiwan has injected new blood from the younger generation into its security team as it seeks to tackle growing threats from Beijing and navigate US President Donald Trump’s transactional approach to policy.

The office of Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te on Monday announced that its spokesman Lii Wen and Taipei City councillor Chao Yi-hsiang had been appointed deputy secretaries general of the National Security Council (NSC) with immediate effect. The two men, both in their thirties, replaced seasoned deputies Hsu Szu-chien and Liu Te-chin, who were reassigned as advisers.

The reshuffle comes at a sensitive moment, with Beijing set to showcase its expanding military power – including new long-range and nuclear-capable weapons – at the September 3 Victory Day parade in Tiananmen Square.

The changes also highlight the Lai administration’s broader effort to reconnect with younger voters after two failed mass recall campaigns this summer.

Approval and trust ratings for both Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) plunged to their lowest levels – 36 per cent and 33 per cent respectively – late last month after voters, especially young people, rejected the DPP’s bid to regain parliamentary control by unseating 31 lawmakers from the Kuomintang, the main opposition party.

Lai has sought to strengthen the NSC by blending veteran experience with younger figures seen as more adept at responding to fast-changing global conditions. Both Lii and Chao previously headed the DPP’s international affairs department and have prior NSC experience, according to Lai’s office.

South China Morning Post