A senior US Department of State official with extensive working experience of Taiwan-US affairs is set to become the new director of the Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) this summer.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Kin Moy is to take over from AIT Director Christopher Marut.
Moy has served in the US Foreign Service for more than 20 years. He most recently had responsibility for Taiwan, China and Mongolia affairs.
Prior to that assignment, he served as a senior adviser to former US secretaries of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine Albright.
In addition, he has served in the US embassy in Beijing, the US embassy in Seoul and the US Consulate in Busan, South Korea.
As a career member of the US Senior Foreign Service, he holds the rank of minister counselor.
Moy, married with four children, graduated from Columbia University and the University of Minnesota. He is a Mandarin speaker.
He takes over as director of the AIT at a particularly sensitive time, with the presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan in January next year.
Moy is also expected to be deeply involved in Taiwan’s bid to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement next year.
“Maintaining and deepening our strong unofficial relations with Taiwan is an important part of US engagement in Asia,” Moy said in his most recent major speech on US-Taiwan affairs at the Carnegie Endowment.
He said that much of the history of the 21st century would be written in Asia and a critical part of the US’ strategy would be “building the comprehensive, durable, mutually beneficial relationship between the US and Taiwan.”
“Our broad ranging, unofficial relationship is deeply in the interests of the US. It is founded on our shared values — a commitment to freedom and democracy — and cultivated through our ongoing spirit of cooperation,” Moy said.
Taiwan is recognized around the world, he said, as a model for both economic development and democratic reform.
Moy said that the US fully supports Taiwan’s membership in international organizations where statehood is not a requirement and encourages Taiwan’s “meaningful participation” in organizations where its membership is not possible.
On cross-strait relations, Moy said in the Carnegie speech that the US commended the progress achieved in recent years and encouraged both sides to continue those efforts.
“The reason is straightforward; maintenance of cross-strait stability is essential to the US goal of promoting peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
In Taipei, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Anna Kao (高安) said the government welcomes the appointment of Moy, who has played a part in mapping out US policies on Asia-Pacific affairs and “is familiar with the development of Taipei-Washington ties.”
“We believe that Moy will help expand and advance the Taiwan-US partnership, based on the strong foundations laid by his predecessor, Christopher Marut,” Kao said.
Moy is set to be the first AIT director of Chinese descent since the institution was established in 1979 after the US switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
Additional reporting by CNA
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