American Institute in Taiwan

25°1′56.81″N 121°32′22.41″E / 25.0324472°N 121.5395583°E / 25.0324472; 121.5395583

American Institute in Taiwan
美國在台協會
FoundedWashington, D.C. (January 16, 1979 (1979-01-16))
FounderHarvey J. Feldman (U.S. diplomat)[1]
TypeU.S. Government-Sponsored Nonprofit, Private Corporation
HeadquartersRosslyn, Arlington, Virginia
Location
Area served
Taiwan
ServicesDe facto embassy functions
Chairperson
Laura Rosenberger
Director
Raymond F. Greene[2]
SubsidiariesAmerican Institute in Taiwan Kaohsiung Branch Office
Websitewww.ait.org.tw Edit this at Wikidata
Under authorization by the Taiwan Relations Act
American Institute in Taiwan
Traditional Chinese美國在台協會
Simplified Chinese美国在台协会
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinMěiguó Zài Tái Xiéhuì

The American Institute in Taiwan[3] (AIT; Chinese: 美國在台協會; pinyin: Měiguó Zài Tái Xiéhuì) is the de facto embassy of the United States of America in Taiwan. AIT is a wholly owned subsidiary of the federal government of the United States in Taiwan with Congressional oversight.[4] The AIT was officially created as a U.S. government-sponsored nonprofit, private corporation established under the auspices of the U.S. government to serve its interests in Taiwan.

Primarily staffed by employees of the United States Department of State and local workers, the AIT provides consular services normally offered by United States diplomatic missions, with the Great Seal of the State Department hung at the main office in Taipei. The establishment of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1979 required the United States to develop its own "One China policy" and subsequently to terminate official diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan). The AIT now serves to assist and protect U.S. interests in Taiwan in a quasiofficial manner,[5] and also processes U.S. visas and provides consular services to U.S. expatriates. Following the swift passage of the 2018 Taiwan Travel Act by the United States, it now serves as a high-level representative bureau on behalf of United States in Taiwan.[6] It receives full protection from the United States Marine Corps as do all U.S. embassies.[7][8][9]

  1. ^ "The Taiwan Relations Act -- Past, and Perhaps Future by Harvey J. Feldman". Archived from the original on 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  2. ^ "Raymond F. Greene Assumes Position as AIT Director". American Institute in Taiwan. 9 July 2024.
  3. ^ The AIT's official name is "The American Institute in Taiwan" (including the word "The" - See the Register of Corporations, Washington DC records)
  4. ^ "The Quasi Government - Federation of American Scientists" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-09-27.
  5. ^ Beech, Keyes; Times, Los Angeles (1980-09-04). "For U.S. Quasi-Embassy in Taiwan, Silence is Golden". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2018-07-11. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  6. ^ Steve, Chabot (2018-03-16). "Text - H.R.535 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Taiwan Travel Act". www.congress.gov. Archived from the original on 2018-07-11. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  7. ^ "US sending American personnel to guard de facto Taiwan embassy". 2018-08-30. Archived from the original on 2019-07-20. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  8. ^ "U.S. Confirms active military personnel posted at AIT since 2005". Archived from the original on 2019-07-20. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  9. ^ "Asia Times | Marines to guard new US compound in Taiwan | Article". 4 April 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-04-06. Retrieved 2019-07-20.