Taiwan’s newly appointed representative to the United States, Alexander Yui (俞大㵢) arrived in Washington on Monday to take up his new post after Hsiao Bi-khim’s resignation on November 20.
He was greeted by Ingrid Larson, managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger also welcomed Yui's arrival on social media saying that his experience and expertise will help to further develop and strengthen the partnership between the two countries.
During an interview with the media, Yui said Taiwan-U.S. relations have been thriving and developing in recent years. He says that the main focus of his work in the near future will be on economic and trade cooperation, double taxation issues, and expanding Taiwan's international space, as well as security, ensuring peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and enhancing Taiwan's self-defense capabilities.
Yui also expressed concern about China's growing aggression towards Taiwan as the election nears. He said that China is using military threats, economic coercion, and disinformation to try to influence Taiwan's people and elections. He says preventing foreign interference in Taiwan's democratic process will be one of the main points of discussion with the U.S. side.
When asked by reporters if Yui felt pressure to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Hsiao Bi-khim, he said that Hsiao's work has laid a more solid foundation for Taiwan-U.S. relations and that he will continue to further strengthen relations between the two countries on the basis of that foundation.