Taipei: 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 and Liu Te-chin will serve as NSC advisors, while their deputy secretary-general posts will be taken up by Presidential Office spokesperson Lii Wen and Taipei City Councilor Chao Yi-hsiang, the office said in a statement.

According to Focus Taiwan, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo stated that President Lai Ching-te praised Hsu and Liu for their service in the NSC leadership. Hsu, a political scientist at Academia Sinica, had served as a deputy foreign minister before his appointment as NSC deputy secretary-general in July 2020 by then-President Tsai Ing-wen. Liu, a retired Army major general, was appointed in February 2023 and was noted by the office for his expertise in military cooperation and defense strategy.

Both Chao and Lii have previously led the international affairs department of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and have prior NSC experience, the office added. Chao has also served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was head of the political division at Taiwan’s representative office in the United States. Lii has worked as deputy head of the DPP’s Chinese affairs department and at the Prospect Foundation, a think tank focusing on cross-strait issues.

President Lai hopes to continue utilizing Hsu and Liu’s expertise in foreign affairs and defense while expecting Chao and Lii to introduce new perspectives from a younger generation, Kuo mentioned.