On April 30, the Atlantic Council hosted Mr. Andrew Yang, deputy minister of national defense of the Republic of China (Taiwan), for a discussion on the Asia-Pacific security environment and the Republic of China’s defense transformation.

Mr. Yang outlined the roadmap of the defense transformation of Taiwan and the best options for the future of their defense strategy. He stressed on the new challenges and opportunities that have risen in the region for Taiwan, the United States, and other Asian countries like China, Japan, and South Korea. Cyber security, US military partnership, and the islands dispute were also debated with the experts present around the table.

Mr. Yang served as Secretary General of the Chinese Council for Advanced Policy Studies (CAPS), a Taipei-based think tank that has focused on security and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) studies for more than a decade. In addition to being a frequent commentator in local and US media, including Defense News, Andrew taught at the Sun Yat-Sen University in Kaohsiung from 2000-2009. In addition to a long standing relationship with RAND and its alumni, Carnegie Endowment, and National Defense University, Andrew has been an active member of the Project 2049 Institute International Advisory Council.