Trump admin quietly embeds federal staff to work inside Taiwan government ministries

Some U.S. federal employees will spend up to a year working in Taiwan government offices under a new program designed to reinforce already close ties between Taipei and Washington, the de facto U.S. embassy said on Wednesday.The scheme, known as the Taiwan Fellowship Program, is funded under Washington's 2023 Taiwan Fellowship Act.Participants will undergo up to one year of intensive Mandarin language training and studies. "Upon completion of ​training, the Fellows are expected to work, for up to one year, in Taiwan ​parliamentary offices, ministries, other agencies or offices, or organizations outside the public sector in Taiwan," the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement.A newly purchased F-16V Block 70 fighter jet lands at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung on October 2, 2026. Taiwan received its first two US-made F-16V fighter jets, as the island democracy upgrades its military capabilities to deter a potential Chinese attack (AFP/Getty)The program's main objectives are to expand and strengthen the U.S.-Taiwan partnership and build U.S. officials' expertise on Taiwan, it added. AIT did not say how many people would take part each year.The program will build a group of federal professionals with language skills, cultural knowledge and "lasting working relationships across Taiwan". The memorandum of understanding for the program was signed on Tuesday in the United States, it added."TFP reflects strong bipartisan support for the U.S.-Taiwan relationship and ​a shared commitment ​to the people-to-people ⁠ties at its core," AIT Managing Director Ingrid Larson said in the statement. Like most countries, the United States has no formal diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan. Washington is nevertheless Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier, a persistent sticking point in its relations with Beijing.President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are due to meet again next week for the third time this year (Getty)AIT's large, fortress-like office in Taipei functions like an embassy. In 1994, the U.S. Congress established a similar scheme for Japan, called the Mike Mansfield Fellowship. China says Taiwan is its most important and sensitive diplomatic issue.Beijing has repeatedly demanded that Washington curtail its contacts with Taipei and end arms sales. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are due to meet next week for the third time this year on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders summit in Shenzhen.