'Taiwan-US relations will be even better', President Lai tells new US envoy

President Lai made the remarks when he met the career diplomat during his first official meeting on Wednesday.

In his first official meeting with American Taiwan Institute (AIT) Director Raymond Green, President Lai Ching-te expressed confidence that relations between Taiwan and the United States will only improve in the future.

The American Institute in Taiwan is the de facto embassy of the United States in Taiwan.

Sandra Oudkirk's term of office officially began on July 9, marking the end of her three-year term as a professional diplomat.

Since Green had previously served two terms at AIT, the President described him as an old friend of Taiwan.

During her visit to the presidential office, Green said the United States will continue to assist Taiwan's self-defense efforts as cross-Strait peace and stability is essential to the Indo-Pacific region and the rest of the world, Taiwan News reported.

Lai declared that Taiwan will make every effort to thwart China's attempts to change the status quo of the self-ruled island, Taiwan News reported, citing Radio Taiwan International (RTI).

Green recalled that when Lai began working at AIT twenty years ago, he received an invitation to participate in the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program.

Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, has long been a contentious issue in China’s foreign policy, with Beijing considering the island a renegade province that must be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.

As the situation in the Taiwan Strait deteriorates, regional stability is being threatened, and any escalation could pose serious threats not only to Taiwan and China, but also to the broader Asia-Pacific region.

Since September 2020, China has increased its use of grey zone tactics by increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan.

Grey zone tactics are defined as “an effort, or series of efforts, beyond static-deterrence and assurance, that attempts to achieve one's security objectives without the direct and large-scale use of force.”

This incident has happened at a time when tensions between China and Taiwan are at their peak. Despite never ruling Taiwan, China's ruling Communist Party considers it as its own and has threatened to take it under its control by force if necessary.