American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Washington Office Managing Director Ingrid Larson is visiting Taiwan this week until Friday, the AIT today said in a press release.
Larson arrived yesterday and is scheduled to hold several meetings “as part of the US’ strong commitment to Taiwan and to advance the growing US-Taiwan partnership,” the AIT said.
“While in Taiwan, she will discuss continued US-Taiwan collaboration on issues of mutual interest such as regional security, mutually beneficial trade and investment, and people-to-people, educational and cultural ties,” it added.
Photo: CNA
The AIT did not name the officials Larson is expected to meet with while in Taipei.
According to previous practice, senior AIT officials usually meet with Taiwan's president or vice president, senior diplomats and leaders from different political parties.
As managing director, Larson is responsible for hosting important visitors from Taiwan, finalizing programs and transactions on behalf of the US government as empowered by the Taiwan Relations Act, and overseeing fiscal and other reporting requirements for AIT, the institute said on its website.
She was appointed managing director of AIT’s Washington Office in May 2020. She joined AIT after a 22-year career in the US Department of State, where she served as the director of the Office of Taiwan Coordination, being responsible for the coordination of US policy toward and engagement with Taiwan.
AIT represents US interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties. The headquarters is based in Virginia and there is a main office in Taipei and a branch office in Kaohsiung. Its Taipei director serves as the top US envoy to Taiwan.
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS