According to the [Office of the President, Republic of China (Taiwan)], on the morning of June 25, President Tsai Ing-wen conferred the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon upon William Brent Christensen, Director of the Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), in recognition of his remarkable contributions to enhancing Taiwan-US relations.
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President Tsai's remarks follows:
"Over the past years, we have all seen how active Director Christensen has been as a member of the diplomatic community. He has been everywhere in Taiwan. And together, we have attended numerous important events and received many important visitors from the United States."
"When he assumed office as Director of the AIT Taipei Office, Mr. Christensen announced his intention to focus on promoting four priority areas: Taiwan-US security cooperation, economic and commercial relations, Taiwan's role in the global community, and people-to-people ties. I must say that during his tenure, Director Christensen has successfully promoted all four priority areas and has taken Taiwan-US relations to new heights."
"Before you leave, I wanted to present you with the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon to thank you for your efforts and the contributions you have made to advancing Taiwan-US relations. I am sure I am speaking for everyone in Taiwan when I say how sad we are to see you leave. And of course, I would like to invite you to come back anytime to this beautiful and friendly country to see your old friends."
Director Christensen then delivered the following remarks:
"Madam President, thank you for this magnificent award, your kind words, and your friendship. Most of all, thank you for your courageous leadership in fostering closer US-Taiwan relations."
"As I have said before, the US-Taiwan relationship is a rare and special one. Yet I have been personally – and pleasantly – surprised by the dramatic growth in our ties as we weathered the global pandemic over the past year and a half. The achievements we have reached together during that time are a true testament of the determination and creativity that we share in our efforts to advance the relationship. And the recent outbreak in Taiwan has brought the United States and Taiwan even closer."
President Tsai (right) and AIT Director William Brent Christensen (left). (Photo / Provided by the Office of the President, Republic of China (Taiwan))
"The events of recent weeks will be among my most cherished memories during my tenure as AIT Director. The images of the C-17 Globemaster bringing Senators [Tammy] Duckworth, [Dan] Sullivan, and [Chris] Coons to announce the US donation of 750,000 doses of Moderna vaccine to Taiwan, and of the unloading of crates adorned with the American flag this past Sunday containing 2.5 million doses– more than three times the amount originally promised."
According to the [Office of the President, Republic of China (Taiwan)], among those in attendance at the ceremony were Mrs. Brenda Christensen, AIT Taipei Office Deputy Director Raymond Greene, American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan Chairman C.W. Chin, TSMC founder Morris Chang, Secretary-General to President David T. Lee, National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo, and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.
Please visit the official Office of the President, Republic of China (Taiwan) website to read more.
