Former John Kerry aide takes office as AIT official

Taipei, Aug. 27 (CNA) A former aide to ex-United States Secretary of State John Kerry has assumed the post of cultural affairs officer at the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan announced Monday.

Anne Foss, former special assistant to the under secretary for public diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., as well as a special assistant to Kerry when he was secretary of state, began her new role on Aug. 19 in Taipei.

Her previous Foreign Service assignments include serving as press officer in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and as a vice consul in Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro.

The AIT represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.

The cultural affairs officer is listed under the AIT's Public Diplomacy Section and is responsible for administering the U.S. government's official information, educational, and cultural exchange activities in Taiwan.