Video: Jason Yuan, Taiwan's Chief Representative in the U.S., on Taiwan-China and Taiwan-U.S. Relations

Upon his election in 2008, President Ma Ying-jeou dispatched Jason Yuan to represent Taiwan in Washington, D.C. Ma has just been reelected and in many respects Taiwan's relations with both the United States and China are stable and healthy. Nonetheless, challenges remain. China's leaders appear pleased with greatly expanded economic ties, but have not been willing to allow Taiwan to gain official or unofficial standing in most international bodies. At the same time, official delegations from China have resumed visits to Taiwan. These were stopped in the months leading up to the January election. Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong's visit last week signals that economic and cultural discussions have resumed.

Jason Yuan is one of Taiwan's most senior diplomats. Before becoming the chief representative at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington, Yuan headed the North American Affairs Department at Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1991-1994), served as Taiwan's chief representative to Canada (1994-1996), as ambassador to Panama (1996-1998), and as director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Los Angeles (1998-2003).

Ambassador Yuan earned his undergraduate degree at the Chinese Naval Academy at Tsoying and later earned a master's degree at Southeastern University in the United States.

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This presentation was given on March 2, 2012, at USC. Click on the play button below to see the presentation.

This video is also available on the USCI YouTube Channel.