US sources said on Tuesday that the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) has decided to move out of its current office on Taipei's Hsinyi Road in favor of turning a driving school in Taipei's Neihu District into the institute's new office.
The institute proposed the plan to rent the driving school from the Taipei City Government to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the city government in July but has not received a response.
AIT's Taipei office is located on Hsinyi Road Sect. 3 in downtown Taipei. The Taipei City Council has created controversy in the past by demanding the city government terminate its contract with AIT in order to regain the valuable property.
Last year, the US House of Representatives passed the "Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2002 and 2003," which states that a US flag should be flown in front of AIT's Taipei office as well as the AIT director's residence. The act has also appropriated US$17 million to subsidize the institute's annual budget for this fiscal year.
According to US Congressman Doug Bereuter, former convener of the Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, under the Committee on International Relations, the congressional move shows the US is determined to keep a permanent presence in Taiwan, and that it will serve as the beginning of a new era in Taiwan-US relations once the institute's relocation is completed.
US officials also said that they have been planning to relocate the institute for a long time, as the current office is not only crowded and old, but is also insecure.
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a 10-member team from the House of Representatives visited Taiwan to inspect locations for the new office.
The US government initially planned to purchase its own land for building the new office and has inspected other locations including several in Tamsui.
However, it has decided to lease the land for the office -- because the cost for purchasing a 10-acre tract of land and building an office is estimated to be at least US$200 million, which would far exceed congressional funding.
US officials said that AIT has decided to move to a location in Neihu that is currently occupied by the public Neihu driving school (
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS