Taiwan's ruling DPP marks 40 years since its founding with a forward-looking address from Puma Shen, a signal the party is trying to reset its message after a bruising stretch in domestic politics.

• The party's 40th anniversary member dinner doubles as a platform for a "shouldering a new era" program pitch.
• Puma Shen, best known for tracking Chinese influence operations and sanctioned by Beijing for it, is the face of that pitch.
• The framing puts national security and resistance to Chinese pressure at the center of the DPP's next phase.
• For Beijing, elevating one of its own sanctioned targets is a deliberate provocation.

Outlook: Expect the DPP to keep leaning on the China threat as its organizing theme heading into the next election cycle, and expect sharp words from Beijing in response.