President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday conferred the Order of Brilliant Star on outgoing American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Kin Moy as recognition of his contribution to Taiwan-US ties.
At a ceremony at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei, Tsai awarded Moy the second-highest level of the Order of Brilliant Star, which is given to civil servants, non-civil servants and foreign nationals for remarkable dedication.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) last month conferred on Moy the Grand Medal of Diplomacy, the highest honor Taiwan gives to an individual for diplomatic contributions.
Photo: CNA
Tsai said that when Moy took office three years ago, he set three goals: building trust with the Taiwanese government, showing Taiwanese that the US is Taiwan’s best friend and completing the construction of the AIT’s new compound in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖).
“I believe Director Moy has achieved all three goals,” Tsai said.
During his tenure, Moy also proved himself to be the best friend of Taiwan, she said, citing the AIT head’s close interactions with local government officials and the trips he made to many parts of Taiwan, as well as the creative way in which he has engaged the public through Facebook.
“Director Moy is set to leave his post later this month, and I know his one regret is that he has not been able to visit Kinmen,” Tsai said. “I want to tell him that, other than Kinmen, there are many parts of Taiwan that look forward to him visiting again.”
“Taiwan will always be your second home,” she added.
In his speech, Moy attributed achievements in Taiwan-US relations over the past three years to the hard work of AIT staff, who he said were instrumental in helping him fulfill his vision for ties between Washington and Taipei.
Moy said AIT staff are the reason he is confident that the US’ partnership with Taiwan will continue to prosper long after his departure.
He then jokingly said that as he would soon be out of a job, he has talked to Tsai about pulling some strings to help him secure the position of National Taiwan University president.
The university’s presidency has been dogged by controversies for months due to the Ministry of Education’s refusal to confirm the school’s nomination of former National Development Council minister Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔) as its president, citing the university’s failure to avoid conflicts of interest in the election process.
Moy is to be succeeded by former AIT deputy director Brent Christensen this summer, but the AIT has yet to announce when Christensen is to take office.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
RSS