Taiwan confers medal on outgoing U.S. envoy after 3-year term

Taipei, July 2 (CNA) Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) on Tuesday honored the United States' de facto ambassador to Taiwan Sandra Oudkirk with a diplomacy medal for her contributions to Taipei-Washington relations as her term comes to an end.

Speaking at a ceremony at which he presented the Grand Medal of Diplomacy to Oudkirk, Lin praised her for her "great dedication in strengthening the bonds between Taiwan and the United States" during her three years in the job.

"Throughout Director Oudkirk's term, the United States has maintained its rock-solid commitment to Taiwan, which stands on the front line in defending democracy against authoritarian expansionism," Lin said of Oudkirk, the Taipei director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).

Also during her tenure, Washington has continued to support Taiwan's self-defense needs with arms sales and backed its international participation as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Lin said.

At the same time, Taiwan-U.S. economic relations have continued to expand and become more institutionalized, including with the signing of the first agreement under the Taiwan-U.S. Initiative on 21st-Century Trade in June 2023, Lin said.

"As we confer the Grand Medal of Diplomacy upon Director Oudkirk, let us not only recognize her contributions but also reaffirm our commitment to further enhancing Taiwan-U.S. relations."

The AIT director, meanwhile, said it has been "the privilege of a lifetime" to be able to serve the American people in Taiwan twice in her diplomatic career, the first time over 30 years ago when she was a young diplomat in Taipei and over the past three years as AIT Taipei chief.

Washington-Taipei relations have "broadened and deepened" over the past three decades even as the world evolves, she said.

This is because both sides have shared a vision of a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific region and an interest in maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, she said, and "that vision has stood the test of time and transcended any one person."

On her personal accomplishments on the job, Oudkirk said she took pride in efforts made with Taiwanese partners in many areas, including supporting Taiwan's self-defense capability, promoting global supply chain resilience, and deepening people-to-people ties.

Oudkirk, whose three-year term ends in a week, became the first woman to hold the AIT Taipei director role when she assumed office in July 2021.

The AIT represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties. It is headquartered in Virginia and has a main office in Taipei and a branch office in Kaohsiung.

Its Taipei director serves as the top U.S. envoy to Taiwan while its chairperson serves more of a ceremonial role.

Raymond Greene, the deputy chief of mission of the United States Embassy in Japan, has been named as her successor, but no date has been given for when he will take up his post in Taiwan.

According to the AIT, Greene, who speaks Japanese and Mandarin Chinese and has been in the diplomatic corps for 28 years, is a career member of the State Department's Senior Foreign Service with a rank of minister-counselor.

He served as deputy AIT director from 2018 to 2021.