Tsai posts US‑Taiwan hike

Former Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen posted photos this week from a hike with U.S. envoy Raymond Greene, turning a trail walk into a public snapshot of unofficial ties. (taiwannews.com.tw) Taiwan News reported on April 17 that Tsai compared Taiwan-United States relations to hiking after walking with Greene, the director of the American Institute in Taiwan. The U.S. mission’s Facebook page also posted about the outing. (taiwannews.com.tw) Greene has led the American Institute in Taiwan since July 8, 2024. The institute is the U.S. body that handles Washington’s unofficial relations with Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act. (ait.org.tw; state.gov) That matters because Washington and Taipei do not have formal diplomatic relations, but the U.S. State Department says they maintain a “robust unofficial relationship” built on commercial, cultural, and people-to-people links. Tsai’s post put that formula into an image that was easy to share. (state.gov) The timing also lands in a tense stretch across the Taiwan Strait. Reuters reported this week that Beijing rejected U.S. accusations that China is increasing military pressure on Taiwan, after Greene said China should stop threats and talk with Taiwan’s leaders. (msn.com; taipeitimes.com) Tsai left office on May 20, 2024, when Lai Ching-te took over as president, but she has remained a visible Democratic Progressive Party figure and a regular presence on social media. Recent coverage in Taiwan has focused on her post-presidency hiking appearances as part of that public profile. (scmp.com; archive.org) Tsai has used U.S. stops and U.S. meetings before as part of Taiwan’s diplomacy, including her April 2023 meeting in California with then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. That visit drew condemnation from Beijing and underscored how even unofficial contact can carry diplomatic weight. (nbcnews.com; fpri.org) This week’s hike was smaller and softer than a speaker meeting or an arms announcement, but it came from the same channel: unofficial contact made public. On a mountain trail instead of a government office, Tsai and Greene still gave both sides a visible way to show the relationship is active. (state.gov; taiwannews.com.tw)