U.S. de facto ambassador Sandra Oudkirk gives final press conference｜Taiwan News

Описание: The American de facto ambassador, Sandra Oudkirk, will soon complete her three-year posting. On Friday, she hosted her last press conference, where she predicted that U.S.-Taiwan ties will not be affected by the upcoming U.S. elections. Responding to China’s condemnation of President Lai Ching-te’s inaugural speech, she urged China not to use Lai’s remarks as a, quote, pretext for provocation.

AIT Director Sandra Oudkirk’s three-year posting in Taiwan will be up soon. On Friday, she hosted her last press conference before leaving office.

Sandra Oudkirk
AIT Director
The U.S.-Taiwan partnership has steadily deepened but at the same time, the United States and Taiwan face a regional and global landscape that is more challenging and more complex than ever before. U.S. support for Taiwan remains rock solid, principled and bipartisan and is entirely consistent with our “one China” policy and longstanding commitments. We firmly believe that the US commitment to Taiwan contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Oudkirk, who took office in 2021, is the first female AIT director. Over her three years in office, Taiwan-U.S. relations have continued to warm, and there have been many bilateral military cooperation projects. Despite recent delays to U.S. arms deliveries, China has demanded the immediate end to arms sales to Taiwan.

Sandra Oudkirk
AIT Director
Fostering Taiwan’s ability to defend itself is AIT’s top priority. We view this as completely in line with the guidance we’ve received under the Taiwan Relations Act. Arms and other military equipment were severely affected during the pandemic by supply chain… Those are now unwinding. We look forward to the delivery of the military capabilities that Taiwan has purchased over the past several years.

Responding to China’s military exercises following President Lai Ching-te’s inauguration, Oudkirk said China should not look for excuses to make provocations or endanger regional peace.

Sandra Oudkirk
AIT Director
The commitments that President Lai made to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Straits and in this region in his inaugural address. We have urged the PRC to not take this as a pretext for provocation. There is a broad-based bipartisan consensus on policy towards Taiwan. I do not think an election would necessarily change that.

Beginning in July, career diplomat Raymond Greene will take over as AIT director. Hopes are high that under his leadership, Taiwan-U.S. relations will become even closer.

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