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.
“The only common desire both sides had when they met in Bali was to prevent the strained ties from deteriorating further, but their rivalry has clearly escalated and bilateral ties are far worse than they were [then],” he said.
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From Beijing’s perspective, Washington has been chipping away at its long-standing one-China policy with arms sales, high-level exchanges, pro-Taiwan legislation and efforts to rally international support for the island.
“China’s stand-off with the US over the Taiwan issue looks set to intensify,” Shi said.
Rosenberger has been a vocal critic of Beijing’s Covid-19 response and has been seen as a prominent China hawk at the Biden White House.
As a top adviser on China, she has been heavily involved in the Biden administration’s decision-making on and communications with Beijing.
“Since the first day of the administration, Laura’s skilled diplomacy and tenacity have been essential to this administration priority, and we are immensely grateful for her service.”
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In December, Rosenberger visited China with Daniel Kritenbrink, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs. They held talks with Xie Feng, the Chinese foreign vice-minister, in Langfang and made preparations for Blinken’s first China trip.
Beijing was initially positive about Rosenberger’s China visit, with Xi’s top foreign policy aide Wang describing the Langfang meeting as “in-depth and constructive”.
But Blinken’s trip – which had been agreed to by Biden and Xi – was cancelled at the last minute due to tensions over the spy balloon episode.
Rosenberger and Sullivan were also senior foreign policy advisers to Hillary Clinton and played key roles in her presidential campaign in 2016. Rosenberger was also Blinken’s chief of staff when he was deputy secretary of state and deputy national security adviser under former president Barack Obama.
