Envoy to return to head global drone academy
By Lo Tien-bin / Staff reporter
Deputy Representative to the Philippines Lee Ting-sheng (李廷盛), a retired air force lieutenant general, is to return to Taiwan and assume the role of chief executive officer at the Global Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Academy (GUAVA), a source said yesterday.
To consolidate resources and maximize operational effectiveness, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Drone Diplomacy Task Force would also be merged into GUAVA, which would be led by Lee to actively accelerate Taiwan’s drone diplomacy and asymmetric security cooperation, they added.
Lee, 64, graduated from the Republic of China Air Force Academy and is one of the rare US-educated flag officers in the armed forces, having solid flight experience in F-5E and a US military strategic mindset.
Deputy Representative to the Philippines Lee Ting-sheng, left, poses for a photo with Stratbase Institute president Victor Andres Manhit, center, and another participant at a forum in Makati, Philippines, on July 10.
Photo: CNA
After retiring from the rank of lieutenant general, he served as the deputy executive director and executive director of the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, and assumed his post as Deputy Representative to the Philippines in September 2024.
During his tenure in the Philippines, Lee facilitated a visit by an active-duty general to Manila, and spearheaded the first official coast guard exchanges since diplomatic ties between the two countries were severed in 1974, the source said.
Lee also assisted in transferring 453-tonne retired the vessel Kinmen to the Philippines for humanitarian search and rescue, laying a solid security foundation for Taiwan-Philippines relations, they added.
Precisely because of his numerous accomplishments on the front lines in Southeast Asia, Lee — who has background and expertise in military strategy, diplomacy and an extensive network — was tapped as the top choice to lead Taiwan’s drone diplomacy, the source said.
Lee had also previously served as deputy commander of the air force and assistant deputy chief of the general staff for communications, electronics and information.
Alongside this appointment, the structural framework for drone diplomacy undergoing a major reform, with the ministry’s Drone Diplomacy Task Force merged into GUAVA, signaling Taiwan’s move beyond bureaucratic constraints toward a more flexible and consolidated operation, the source said.
The official task force, previously restricted by public sector regulations, faced limitations when negotiating commercial opportunities, technology transfers or joint international production, they said.
After merging with the fully privately funded GUAVA, it is to be chaired by Lee Hahn-ming (李漢銘), while Lee Ting-sheng would oversee actual policy execution as CEO, leveraging public-private synergy to break through diplomatic difficulties, they said.
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