Presidential Office announces 4 National Security Council appointments

Taipei, Sept. 1 (CNA) Two deputy secretary-generals in Taiwan's National Security Council (NSC) have been named advisors, while a Presidential Office spokesperson and a Taipei City councilor will fill their vacancies, the Presidential Office said Monday.

Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) and Liu Te-chin (劉得金) will serve as NSC advisors, while their deputy secretary-general posts will be taken up by Presidential Office spokesperson Lii Wen (李問) and Taipei City Councilor Chao Yi-hsiang (趙怡翔), the office said in a statement.

Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) praised Hsu and Liu for their exemplary service in the NSC leadership.

Hsu, a political scientist at Academia Sinica, served as a deputy foreign minister before being named NSC deputy secretary-general in July 2020 by then-President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). Liu, a retired Army major general, was appointed in February 2023 and was described by the office as experienced in military cooperation and defense strategy.

Both Chao and Lii previously headed the international affairs department of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and have prior NSC experience, the office said.

Chao has also served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was posted in the United States as head of the political division at Taiwan's representative office. Lii has worked as deputy head of the DPP's Chinese affairs department and at the Prospect Foundation, a government-affiliated think tank focusing on cross-strait issues.

President Lai hopes to continue drawing on Hsu and Liu's expertise in foreign affairs and defense, while expecting Chao and Lii to bring innovative perspectives from a younger generation, Kuo added.