The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) announced on Thursday that a high-ranking State Department official, Kin Moy, will take over as director of its Taipei office this summer.
AIT is the de facto US embassy in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Moy is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, having served in the State Department for over 20 years. In his current role as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, he is responsible for relations with Taiwan, China and Mongolia. He served as deputy executive secretary in the Office of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from 2009 to 2011.
In Taiwan, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Anna Kao said that the foreign ministry believes that Moy will help further strengthen ties.
"[Kin Moy] is familiar with the development of relations between Taiwan and the United States," Kao said. "The Republic of China government welcomes Kin Moy as the new director of the American Institute in Taiwan, and believes that he will further expand and advance Taiwan-US relations on the strong foundation established by his predecessor Christopher Marut."
The Republic of China is the official name of Taiwan.
Moy will be the first person of Chinese descent to take up the position of AIT director.