《TAIPEI TIMES》 Former top US State Department official on visit

/ Staff writer, with CNA

Former US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs Daniel Russel yesterday arrived in Taiwan for a four-day visit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, touting Russel’s visit as helping to deepen the Taiwan-US bilateral partnership. The ministry welcomed Russel, who was invited by the government.

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It is the first time Russel, who is now diplomat-in-residence and senior fellow at the Washington-based Asia Society Policy Institute, has visited Taiwan.

During his stay, Russel is to deliver a speech at National Chengchi University in Taipei tomorrow, and visit government departments to learn about Taiwan’s political and economic development and government policies in the areas of diplomacy, national defense and cross-strait relations.

Russel will exchange views on US-Taiwan links and cooperation, the ministry said.

His visit “does not only reflect the friendship between Taiwan and the US, but also helps deepen and broaden the partnership between the two sides,” it said.

Russel was a career diplomat with the US Department of State, and served as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs from July 2013 to March.

Before being named assistant secretary, he had served at the White House as special assistant to the president and National Security Council senior director for Asian affairs during former US president Barack Obama’s tenure.

During his years at the Department of State and the White House, Russel promoted US-Taiwan relations, the ministry said.

During his more than two-and-a-half decades in the US Foreign Service, Russel had assignments in Japan, the UN, South Korea, Washington, Cyprus and the Netherlands.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES