Some U.S. federal employees will be posted to offices across Taiwan for periods of up to one year under a new initiative designed to reinforce the already close relationship between Taipei and Washington, the de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan said on Wednesday.
The Taiwan Fellowship Program, financed under the U.S. 2023 Taiwan Fellowship Act, will initially provide intensive Mandarin language training and study before Fellows begin placements. According to the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which functions as the de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei, participants will undergo concentrated language instruction and related study while in Taiwan.
After completing that training, the statement said, Fellows are expected to work for up to one year in a range of postings that include Taiwan parliamentary offices, ministries, other government agencies or offices, and organisations outside the public sector in Taiwan. The programme is positioned as a way to expand and strengthen the U.S.-Taiwan partnership and to deepen U.S. officials' substantive expertise regarding Taiwan.
AIT described the programme as an effort to build a cadre of federal professionals equipped with Mandarin language skills, cultural awareness and durable working relationships across Taiwan. The agency did not specify how many federal employees will participate each year, noting only the programme's objectives and structure.
The memorandum of understanding governing the programme was signed on Tuesday in the United States, AIT said. In a statement, AIT Managing Director Ingrid Larson said: "TFP reflects strong bipartisan support for the US-Taiwan relationship and a shared commitment to the people-to-people ties at its core." The statement did not provide a numerical target for annual participation.
AIT also noted the programme's precedent in a similarly structured exchange created by the U.S. Congress in 1994 for Japan, known as the Mike Mansfield Fellowship. That programme was referenced to illustrate the model on which the Taiwan Fellowship Program is based.
The announcement comes against a backdrop of ongoing diplomatic sensitivity. China regards Taiwan as its most important and sensitive diplomatic issue and has repeatedly called on Washington to reduce contacts with Taipei and to stop arms sales to the island. The United States, while not maintaining formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan like most countries, is described by AIT as Taiwan's most important international supporter and supplier of arms. Those elements remain a persistent point of tension in U.S.-China relations.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are due to meet next week for the third time this year on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders summit in Shenzhen, the statement noted. AIT also pointed to its Taipei office's fortress-like appearance when describing its role functioning as an embassy in the absence of formal diplomatic ties.
Program in brief
- Funding: Provided under the 2023 Taiwan Fellowship Act.
- Structure: Intensive Mandarin training and study followed by placements up to one year in government or non-public organisations in Taiwan.
- Objectives: Deepen bilateral partnership, increase U.S. officials' expertise on Taiwan, and build lasting professional ties.