TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The American Institute in Taiwan website has listed Laura Rosenberger as the de facto US embassy's “former chair.”
On an AIT page titled “Former AIT Chairs,” which is now inaccessible, Rosenberger is listed as having a tenure from 2023 to 2025. The US State Department and AIT Managing Director Ingrid Larson have yet to respond to inquiries from CNA about Rosenberger's apparent departure.
She served in roles at the State Department and the National Security Council for over 10 years before being appointed AIT chair in March 2023. During her tenure, she visited Taiwan at least six times, most recently in May, when she attended President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) inauguration.
Rosenberger's final tweet as AIT chair was in December when she posted a photo of Lai and Larson shaking hands during his stopover in Guam. The AIT chair X account has also removed her profile picture and name.
On Jan. 21, Donald Trump announced on Truth Social the dismissal of four senior government officials. Trump also said that over 1,000 appointees were in the process of being removed. Taiwan's government has yet to issue an official response.
The length of AIT chair terms has varied. James Moriarty, Rosenberger’s predecessor, served for over six years, while Raymond Burghardt held the position for nearly 11 years. In contrast, Therese Shaheen served for about two years.
Since Taiwan and the US do not have formal diplomatic relations, AIT serves as Washington’s de facto diplomatic institution under the Taiwan Relations Act, funded by the State Department.
AIT’s Taipei Office functions as a de facto US embassy. Taiwan's counterpart is the Taiwan Council for US Affairs, which also oversees the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US.
