Biden adviser Laura Rosenberger to take over as chair of de facto US embassy to Taiwan
- Rosenberger, who is seen as a prominent China hawk, will become chairperson of the American Institute in Taiwan on March 20
- Ties have deteriorated between Beijing and Washington, and observer says their stand-off over the island ‘looks set to intensify’
The American Institute in Taiwan on Thursday said that Laura Rosenberger – special assistant to the president and the National Security Council’s senior director for China and Taiwan – would be its next chairperson, replacing James Moriarty on March 20.
“As AIT chair, Ms Rosenberger will participate in policy-level discussions on Taiwan and represent the administration in visits to Taiwan and in meetings with Taiwan representatives in the United States,” the AIT said in a statement, adding that she would bring “nearly two decades of deep, high-level experience on the Indo-Pacific, including on Taiwan, China, cross-strait and broader national security issues”.
It also praised Moriarty, who has been in the role since 2016, for expanding Washington’s unofficial ties with Taiwan, which Beijing claims as a breakaway province to be reunited with mainland China – by force if necessary.
Established after the US switched its official recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979, the AIT is headquartered in Virginia, while its Taipei director serves as America’s top envoy to Taiwan in the absence of official ties.
Observers say Rosenberger’s appointment as AIT chair underlines Washington’s determination to deepen ties with the island, which many fear is the most likely flashpoint for an armed conflict between the US and China.