Taiwan's National Security Council has quietly become the main hub for handling Chinese pressure, and Western allies increasingly like dealing with it directly — a plus for Taipei's diplomacy, though some allies say the reforms are moving too slowly.

• Officials from G7 countries and major European governments now see real value in talking straight to Taiwan's NSC instead of going only through defense channels.
• One G7 official praised its work on sea security and on "gray zone" threats, saying few governments could push such an ambitious agenda so fast.
• The council is driving asymmetric warfare plans and city resilience drills, and also runs quiet diplomacy including the annual Monterey Talks with the U.S.
• Secretary-General Joseph Wu frames the shift as whole-of-society defense: every agency has a role so people can help themselves in a crisis, natural or man-made.
• Critics push back — one Western official wants actual military reform rather than think-tank talk, and former UK security minister Tom Tugendhat warns Beijing could divide and overwhelm Taiwan without tighter coordination.

Outlook: Expect closer intelligence links between Taipei and Tokyo's new spy agency, alongside growing pressure to turn defense reform plans into visible results.