TAIPEI -- At a ceremony for Taiwan's military academy, new Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo Li-hsiung spoke bluntly about the danger he sees across the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te, left, and Defense Minister Wellington Koo Li-hsiung, center, attend a ceremony with new army recruits at a military camp in Taichung in June. © EPA/Jiji
Civilian defense minister aims to sharpen asymmetric warfare capabilities