TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei City's Neihu District residents on Wednesday (July 12) voiced their opposition to the proposed expansion of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Wednesday held a public forum on a proposal to convert land from Taipei Municipal Neihu Junior High School into office space to be leased to the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), reported UDN. During the meeting, nearby residents were invited to express their opinions.

Christine Hsueh (薛美瑜), secretary-general of the Taiwan Council for U.S. Affairs, said in a speech that Taiwan and the U.S. have had closer cooperation and AIT's operations have continued to grow. In order to cope with the shortage of office space and to foster the long-term development of Taiwan-U.S. relations, Hsueh said that MOFA has demonstrated its support for the leasing of land.

Shih Yen-heng (施彥亨), deputy general manager of Wisdomfun Engineering Consultants, Inc., who was tasked with explaining the plan, said the plot of land is located on the east side of Jinhu Road. Although it is school land, the Taipei City Government Department of Education previously said there is no need for development on the property due to the declining birth rate.

The land is designated as reserved land under the jurisdiction of the city government, said Shih. To accommodate the expansion needs of AIT, there is a need to change the designation of the land for usage by government agencies, which will require an amendment to Article 27, Section 1, Subsection 4 of the Urban Planning Law (都市計畫法).

However, the residents at the scene expressed their objections to the proposal and some were even reportedly heard shouting "establish diplomatic relations" and argued that Neihu land should not be handed over to foreigners for no reason. One resident was cited by the newspaper as saying, "Today, you Americans have the gall. Establish diplomatic relations with us first, then we can talk."

Kuomintang (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Wu Shih-cheng (吳世正) also expressed that the project should not be approved because it would set a bad precedent. Wu said that although the Taiwan-U.S. relationship is important, if this precedent is set, "Will it mean that when other friendly countries ask for an expansion, Taiwan will help them convert land?

KMT Taipei City Councilor Yu Shu-hui (游淑慧) also observed that the AIT currently occupies 6.5 hectares, and the expansion would include an additional 2.3 hectares, bringing the total to nearly nine hectares, which is "even bigger than the White House" (7.3 hectares). Yu questioned, "Why does the AIT need such a large space?"