Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) was spotted near the American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) headquarters in Virginia on Thursday, although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US Department of State yesterday declined to comment.
Several local news outlets yesterday reported that Lin was seen at the Hyatt Centric hotel in Arlington, Virginia, on Thursday evening, and that other ministry officials and AIT Director Raymond Greene were also seen nearby.
The hotel is only about a two-minute walk from the AIT’s headquarters.
Photo: Taipei Times
Reporters who waited outside the hotel and the AIT building said that vehicles of Taiwan’s representative office in the US and its officials were observed near the two buildings.
The AIT Washington Headquarters serves as a liaison with its counterpart organization, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, as well as with US government agencies. It is also relatively close to the US Department of State building, separated by the Potomac River.
As the US and allies — including Australia, Israel, Japan, Singapore and South Korea — on Friday met to discuss the Pax Silica initiative, which aims to build secure, prosperous, and innovative global technology supply chains, some people in the diplomatic community speculated that Lin might have attended a banquet on the eve of the summit.
The ministry said it has “no comment” on Lin’s visit, while an anonymous US Department of State spokesperson said “we have nothing to confirm.”
The spokesperson reiterated the US’ long-standing policy on Taiwan and said Washington “maintains a robust, unofficial relationship with Taiwan.”
In 2023, then-minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and then-National Security Council secretary-general Wellington Koo (顧立雄) met with US representatives at the AIT’s headquarters.
Some political observers said Lin’s trip was symbolically significant, as it came after US President Donald Trump on Dec. 4 signed the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act into law.
The act requires the US Department of State to regularly review and update guidelines governing official US interactions with Taiwan, and formally lifts restrictions on reciprocal visits by senior US and Taiwanese officials.
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