Raymond Greene, deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Tokyo, has been named as the new de facto US ambassador to Taiwan.
Greene, who has served in his post in Tokyo since July 17, 2021, is to succeed incumbent American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Sandra Oudkirk this summer, the AIT announced on Tuesday.
The AIT represents US interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties. It is headquartered in Virginia and has a main office in Taipei and a branch office in Kaohsiung.
Photo: Screengrab from AIT Web site
Its Taipei director serves as the top US envoy to Taiwan while its chairperson serves more of a ceremonial role.
Greene, who speaks Japanese and Mandarin, and has been in the diplomatic corps for 28 years, is a career member of the US Department of State’s Senior Foreign Service with a rank of minister-counselor, the AIT said.
Greene served as deputy AIT director from 2018 to 2021.
He has served as director for Japan and East Asian Economic Affairs at the US National Security Council and director of US Department of State Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Greene’s previous overseas assignments included serving as US consul general in Chengdu, China, and Okinawa, Japan. He also formerly served as chief of the Political-Military Affairs Unit at the US embassy in Tokyo, deputy chief of the Political Section at the AIT, and a political officer in Tokyo and Manila.
Oudkirk assumed office in July 2021.
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