Chen Ming-tong, who has been Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's right-hand man since his appointment as head of the National Security Bureau (NSB) in February last year, is playing a central role in readying the agency to respond to Chinese leader Xi Jinping's desire to regain control of the island as soon as possible.

Appointed to head the intelligence service in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, Chen Ming-tong quickly ensured that Lieutenant-General Chen Chin-kuang, the former head of the NSB's