Taiwan’s President-elect, Lai Ching-te, is set to take office on May 20 and is currently forming his cabinet and national security team. The United States government is closely monitoring the team’s composition, particularly hoping for continuity in Taiwan’s policy towards the US amid the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and Middle Eastern crisis.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal on April 15, sources revealed that the personnel of Lai Ching-te’s national security team are expected to be announced later this month, including some familiar faces from the United States.
Government officials and political analysts suggest that the anticipated appointments essentially reflect a reshuffle of the current Taiwanese government’s cabinet, signaling a continuation that is likely to be welcomed by the Biden administration.
US Taiwan experts point out that appointing a national security team similar to its predecessor will be welcomed by the US, reassuring the White House that Lai Ching-te is unlikely to drastically change Taiwan’s approach towards Beijing.
“The Biden administration hopes to see continuity in Taiwan policy,” said Bonnie Glaser, Director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the US-based German Marshall Fund, speaking to The Wall Street Journal.
Regardless of who is chosen for Lai Ching-te’s national security team, it is expected to irk the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is unprecedentedly entering its third term in office. While the CCP has not ruled Taiwan for a day, it has never abandoned its ambition to take Taiwan by force. The Taiwanese government believes that Taiwan’s future should be determined by its 23 million people, most of whom wish to maintain the current status quo and reject CCP rule.
Sources revealed that Lai Ching-te plans to appoint the current National Security Council Secretary-General, Wellington Koo, as the Minister of National Defense, while the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph Wu, will serve as the Secretary-General of the National Security Council, a position he held from 2016 to 2017.
It has been reported that an unfamiliar face to the US, Lin Chia-lung, the current Secretary-General of the Presidential Office, is set to assume Wu’s current role as Taiwan’s top diplomat.
Prior reports by Taiwan’s Liberty Times have outlined Lai Ching-te’s new government appointments, emphasizing stability and continuity as priorities. The current Foreign Minister, Joseph Wu, is expected to return as the Secretary-General of the National Security Council, while the current National Security Council Secretary-General, Wellington Koo, will assume the role of Minister of National Defense, with the current Director of the National Security Bureau, Tsai Ming-yan, expected to remain in his position.
On Monday, Wu responded to rumors of job changes by stating that the matter should be addressed through official announcements. As of now, he remains the Minister of Foreign Affairs and will continue to focus on diplomatic duties until the last day of his tenure. Wu did not comment on the speculation regarding Lin Chia-lung taking over as Foreign Minister.
Wellington Koo, a lawyer trained at New York University who transitioned into politics, has been President Tsai Ing-wen’s top national security advisor for the past four years. It is anticipated that he will lead military reforms in Taiwan if appointed as the defense minister, becoming one of the few defense ministers in Taiwan’s history since the early 2000s without a military background.
“Allowing civilian officials into the Ministry of National Defense can promote reform, which is crucial,” said Su Tzu-yun, a researcher at the non-partisan, military-supported think tank, the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taiwan. Su noted that selecting such a national security team indicates a commitment to maintaining stability.
Su Tzu-yun further predicts that under Wellington Koo’s leadership, Taiwan’s military may accelerate spending on asymmetric capabilities, a move desired by many in the US given the overwhelming scale of the Chinese military that Taiwan faces.
Both Wellington Koo and Joseph Wu are well-known figures in the US. Last year, they attended an unprecedented high-level meeting with senior officials of the Biden administration in Washington, D.C.
In a Wall Street Journal interview at the end of last year, Wu mentioned his intention to resign from the longest-serving Foreign Minister position since Taiwan’s democratization.
Lin Chia-lung, the Secretary-General of the Presidential Office, who effectively serves as Chief of Staff to President Tsai, has lower recognition in the US government but plays a critical role within Taiwan’s ruling party.
Responsibility Editor: Li Huanyu