Taiwan's Representative to the US Introduces Himself as 'Taiwan Ambassador' on Twitter...Breaking a 40-Year Taboo

The Term 'Ambassador' Unused Since 1979 US-China Diplomatic Ties
Signaling Close Taiwan-US Relations Amid Intensifying US-China Conflict

On the 21st, a screenshot of Xiao Meiqin, Taiwan's Representative to the US, on Twitter. She introduced herself as the Taiwan Ambassador to the US. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the US and China in 1979, Taiwan's Representative to the US has been titled "ROC Representative to the United States" for over 40 years. [Image source= Xiao Meiqin's personal Twitter/https://twitter.com/bikhim]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Xiao Meiqin, Taiwan's representative to the United States who acts as Taiwan's ambassador to the US, has caused a stir in both Taiwan and China by referring to herself as the ambassador to the US on her Twitter account. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the US and China in 1979, which led to the severance of official ties between Taiwan and the US, Taiwan's representative to the US has been called the representative rather than ambassador for over 40 years. The breaking of this taboo is interpreted as a reflection of the increasingly close relationship between the US and Taiwan amid the intensifying US-China conflict.

According to Taiwan's Central News Agency on the 21st, Xiao posted on her personal Twitter profile the title "Taiwan Ambassador to the US." Using the term ambassador instead of the official title "ROC Representative to the United States" has become a topic of discussion. Since Taiwan severed diplomatic relations with the US in 1979 following US-China normalization, it has been unable to establish an embassy in the US. Instead, it operates the "Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office," which functions as a de facto embassy, and Xiao has been called the representative as the head of this institution.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has also effectively expressed her support. President Tsai stated, "Regardless of Xiao Meiqin's title, she is working for Taiwan and maintaining the best communication with various sectors in the US along with the representative office." This is interpreted as a symbolic measure reflecting the deepening close ties between the US and Taiwan amid the intensifying US-China conflict since President Donald Trump's administration.

Earlier, on the 18th, Keith Krach, US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, visited Taiwan and held an economic and commercial meeting with President Tsai and former chairman Chang Chung-mou, founder of Taiwan's TSMC. Krach's visit was the highest-level visit by a State Department official since the severance of diplomatic ties, prompting a strong backlash from China, which deployed 18 fighter jets and bombers to conduct large-scale military demonstrations around the Taiwan Strait.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.