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The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) is a non-profit, private corporation established shortly after the United States Government changed its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing on January 1, 1979. The Taiwan Relations Act (PL 96-8) of April 10, 1979, authorized the continuation of “commercial, cultural and other relations between the people of the United States and the people on Taiwan.” It also provided that “any programs, transactions, or other relations conducted or carried out by the President or any Agency of the United States Government with respect to Taiwan shall, in the manner and to the extent directed by the President, be conducted and carried out by or through the American Institute in Taiwan.” The Department of State, through a contract with the Institute, provides a large part of AIT’s funding and guidance in its operations. Congress, in passing the Taiwan Relations Act, also assumed an oversight role with respect to the Institute’s operations.
AIT Washington, located in Arlington, Virginia, is the headquarters office of the American Institute in Taiwan. It serves as a liaison with its counterpart organization, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), as well as with U.S. government agencies.
AIT’s Taipei Office (AIT/T) with a total staff of over 450 people undertakes a wide range of activities representing U.S. interests, including commercial services, agricultural sales, consular services and cultural exchanges. AIT has a branch office in Kaohsiung, and the AIT Kaohsiung Branch Office (AIT/K) handles local commercial promotion, consular services, information and cultural work.
As a leading democracy and a technological powerhouse, Taiwan is a key U.S. partner in the Indo-Pacific. Though the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, we have a robust unofficial relationship. The United States and Taiwan share similar values, deep commercial and economic links, and strong people-to-people ties, which form the bedrock of our friendship and serve as the impetus for expanding U.S. engagement with Taiwan.
TAIWAN RELATIONS ACT PUBLIC LAW 96-8 96TH CONGRESS An Act To help maintain peace, security, and stability in the Western Pacific and to promote the foreign policy of the United States by authorizing the continuation of commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people of the United States and the people on Taiwan, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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Please call: +886(0)2-2162-2000
Outside of Office Hours, contact: +886(0)2-2162-2000
Outside of Taiwan: 1-888-407-4747
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