Taiwan President Lai Ching-te Meets US Official Raymond Greene to Strengthen Ties
On July 11, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te met with Raymond Greene, the new Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), to discuss future cooperation. President Lai described Greene as an “old friend of Taiwan” and expressed optimism about improving relations between Taiwan and the United States.
Greene, who has previously served two terms at AIT, began his new role on July 9, succeeding Sandra Oudkirk. During their meeting, Greene assured that the US would continue to support Taiwan’s self-defense efforts, emphasizing the importance of cross-strait peace and stability for the Indo-Pacific region.
President Lai reiterated Taiwan’s commitment to resisting China’s attempts to alter the status quo of the self-governed island. He recalled Greene’s long-standing connection with Taiwan, noting that Greene had invited him to the US State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Programme twenty years ago.
The meeting comes amid heightened tensions between China and Taiwan, with China increasing its military presence around the island. Despite never having governed Taiwan, China’s Communist Party considers it part of its territory and has threatened to reunify it by force if necessary.
