Outgoing American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Kin Moy yesterday said he will always be the biggest fan of US-Taiwan relations even after his departure from the institute, as he bade a sentimental farewell to Taiwan and its people.
In what is expected to be his last public appearance before his scheduled leave next week, Moy gave a humorous start to his farewell press conference by saying that he was surprised to see his pending departure treated as if he was already “in the grave.”
“Ever since I announced that I’ll be leaving, I feel I have been seeing obituaries about myself or hearing people mourn me even though I am still alive,” Moy said. “I am here to tell all my friends that I am merely heading back to Washington, not into the grave.”
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Asked about his next post, Moy said he would go back to the US Department of State’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, where he would await his next assignment and would not have a role in Taiwanese affairs.
Nevertheless, Moy said he would continue to cheer for Taiwan from the sidelines.
“Wherever I am, I will always be the biggest fan of US-Taiwan relations,” he said.
Listing some of his good memories during his three-year tenure as AIT head, Moy mentioned the June 12 dedication ceremony for the institute’s new compound in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖), the many people he has reached and talked to, as well as the “hundreds of meals” he has had in Taiwan that have accumulated in his waistline.
Although the AIT has yet to announce a date for the inauguration of his successor — former AIT deputy director Brent Christensen — Moy assured Taiwanese that Christensen is “absolutely the right person” for the job.
“I have such a high regard for him because we have worked closely in the past. I have known him for more than 15 years. We used to carpool back in Beijing to the [US] embassy,” Moy said.
He also described the director-elect as a real expert on Taiwanese affairs, who has a calm presence, is unafraid to go forward in times of difficulties or tensions, is able to cut through distractions to get to the core of issues, and is creative in seeking good solutions or new ways of forging cooperation.
“And he is a much better singer than I am... He is like a combination of Bruno Mars and Frank Sinatra” Moy said.
“I do not want to set him up or anything like that, but you have to ask him to sing,” he added.
Turning to the more serious issue of the US-China trade war and its potential impact on Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, Moy said that Washington had conversations with Taiwanese authorities and industry insiders on the trade issues.
The trade relationship between Washington and Taipei in the past few years has been a good story, as the two sides share the notion that innovation should help drive economic success and fuel economic growth, he said.
However, both the US and Taiwan will suffer when other economies do not play by the rules, he said, adding that such conversations will continue.
Despite not directly confirming media reports that Washington is planning to send warships to the Taiwan Strait amid China’s growing military activity in the region, Moy said the US would continue its freedom of navigation operations, which are allowed by international laws.
“We feel such operations contribute to regional peace and stability,” he said.
As to periodic rumors that Washington is to post US Marines at the new AIT compound, Moy reiterated that there is no change in the US’ policy.
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