American Institute in Taiwan

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) is the unofficial mission of the United States of America in Taiwan. It is a private, nonprofit corporation backed by the United States government. It serves as a de facto embassy to protect American interests in the region. The American Institute in Taiwan is staffed primarily by workers from the United States Department of State. It offers regular visa and consular services for American citizens, just like an official embassy. It also receives full protection from the United States Marine Corps. Overview The institute was created on 16 January 1979 under the Taiwan Relations Act. This happened after the United States established formal diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and had to end official ties with Taiwan. This setup was based on the "Japanese Model", which Japan used to keep unofficial ties with Taiwan after 1972. While relations are technically informal, the United States government treats agreements made through the institute similarly to international agreements made with formal diplomatic allies. The institute has its main headquarters in Arlington County, Virginia, and its largest operations office in Taipei. It also has a smaller branch office in the southern port city of Kaohsiung. Taipei Compound In June 2018, the institute unveiled a new 250 million dollar office complex in the Neihu District of Taipei. The modern compound officially opened in 2019, replacing the old site in the Daan District that had been used since 1979. To mark the opening, officials buried a time capsule on the grounds that is not to be opened for 50 years. Principal Officers List of Directors The director of the Taipei office holds the same operational rank as an ambassador. Charles T. Cross (1979–1981) James R. Lilley (1981–1984) Harry E. T. Thayer (1984–1986) David Dean (1987–1989) Thomas S. Brooks (1990–1993) B. Lynn Pascoe (1993–1996) Darryl Norman Johnson (1996–1999) Raymond Burghardt (1999–2001) Douglas H. Paal (2002–2006) Stephen Young (2006–2009) William A. Stanton (2009–2012) Christopher J. Marut (2012–2015) Kin W. Moy (2015–2018) Brent Christensen (2018–2021) Sandra Oudkirk (2021–2024) Raymond F. Greene (2024–present) List of Chairpersons David Dean (1979–1986) David N. Laux (1986–1990) Natale H. Bellocchi (1990–1995) James C. Wood Jr. (1996–1997) Richard C. Bush (1997–2002) Therese Shaheen (2002–2004) William Andreas Brown (2004–2006; acting) Raymond Burghardt (2006–2016) James F. Moriarty (2016–2023) Laura Rosenberger (2023–2025) References