Taiwan’s president-elect appoints new foreign, defense ministers as island faces continued threats

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s president-elect has appointed new foreign and defense ministers to join his incoming administration as the island faces continuing military threats and diplomatic isolation from China. Lai Ching-te, who assumes the presidency on May 20, announced Thursday that current Presidential Secretary General Lin Chia-lung will take over as foreign minister. He says Wellington Koo will head the Defense Ministry at a time when Taiwan is upgrading its defenses against China. Along with stepping up its threat to annex Taiwan by force, China has whittled down the number of Taiwan’s formal diplomatic allies to just 12, while excluding it from the United Nations and most other international organizations.