The Presidential Office has just carried out a major personnel reshuffle in the national security and intelligence agencies. The job changes -- from the secretary-general of the National Security Council (NSC) to the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) -- were spearheaded by President Chen Shui-bian (
Before Chen took office, both the military and the nation's intelligence apparatus were extremely resistant to the idea of DPP rule. To remove obstacles to the transfer of power, Chen made stability his priority rather than personnel moves within the military and intelligence community. As a result, operations at these agencies were more stable than expected, despite the embezzlement case of Colonel Liu Kuan-chun (
All the top officials in the national security system at the time -- including NSC Secretary-General Chuang Ming-yao (
In the past, the heads of the NSB, the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB), and the MIB were all mainlanders, as were a vast majority of their staff. In the run up to last year's presidential campaign, the heads of the intelligence agencies shocked many with a show of their pro-Soong leanings. Their bias resulted in serious aberrations within the political intelligence work of both the NSB and the MJIB.
Now, the NSB's Deputy Director Tsai Chao-ming (
China and the US will be the two focuses of Taiwan's future national security and intelligence work. Ting Yu-chou (
Control over the military and intelligence institutions are key to stabilizing political power, especially in a fledgling democracy. The latest round of reshuffles show Chen is finally gaining the confidence he needs to rule effectively -- and to emerge from Lee's shadow.
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing
A group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers led by the party’s legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (?) are to visit Beijing for four days this week, but some have questioned the timing and purpose of the visit, which demonstrates the KMT caucus’ increasing arrogance. Fu on Wednesday last week confirmed that following an invitation by Beijing, he would lead a group of lawmakers to China from Thursday to Sunday to discuss tourism and agricultural exports, but he refused to say whether they would meet with Chinese officials. That the visit is taking place during the legislative session and in the aftermath