Admiral (Ethan) Lee Hsi-min is a distinguished figure with a career spanning more than 40 years in the People’s Republic of China´s armed forces, where he has played a key role in shaping military strategy and strengthening Taiwan's defence policy. During his service, he served as Chief of the General Staff (2017-2019), Deputy Minister of National Defence for Policy (2016-2017), and Commander of the Navy (2015-2016), among others. As Chief of the General Staff, he introduced and promoted the innovative Overall Defence Concept (ODC), which was critical to modernizing the military and increasing readiness for joint operations. After retiring from active duty in 2019, he has become a prominent voice in advocating an asymmetric defence strategy, which he sees as key to ensuring Taiwan´s security in the face of the growing threat from the People´s Republic of China. He has summarized his expertise and vision in his book, “The Overall Defence Concept: An Asymmetric Approach to Taiwan Defence”(2022), which has become an important contribution to the national security debate and an inspiration for future military strategists and political leaders.

Our guest is Admiral (Ethan) Lee Hsi-min.

The moderator of the interview is Filip Lukeš from the Institute for Politics and Society.

The interview will be broadcast on September 12 from 16:00 – 16:30 and you can watch it live on our YouTube and Facebook profile.