Stephen Young, the new head of the Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), pledged to work with Taiwan to strengthen its ties with the United States. Young made the statement as he arrived in Taipei March 18 to assume his new post.

Upon his arrival at the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, Young was met by journalists, whom he greeted in both Mandarin and Taiwanese, saying that he was glad to return to Taiwan. Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Kao and his wife were on hand to meet Young and his family.

The new de facto ambassador said at the airport press conference that, "There are real challenges out there, including, in particular, careful management of cross-strait relations with a rapidly growing and increasingly self-confident China." "This has posed new security challenges for Taiwan which the United States, under the Taiwan Relations Act, remains committed to closely cooperating on with you," he added.

Young lived in Kaohsiung in 1963 when his father was stationed there as a military adviser to the ROC army. He said this is his fifth time coming to Taiwan for a long stay, and that each time he has had to learn about the country anew because Taiwan is a place that constantly innovates.

The AIT chief said, however, that he has also observed that there are fundamentals that have remained unchanged. Young said that he is confident of rediscovering the dynamism and optimism of the Taiwan people, which has made this island one of the most vibrant places in the Asia-Pacific region.

Young said he looks forward to reacquainting himself with the strong democratic values that have been emerging here for nearly twenty years, and which President George W. Bush so warmly described in his Kyoto speech last November. He added that he would do his best in his new job to improve the friendship between Washington and Taipei. He added that he and his wife Barbara are looking forward to meeting old friends, and making some new ones.

A career diplomat, Young served in U.S. embassies in Beijing and Moscow, and was the deputy director of AIT's Taipei Office in 1999. His most recent overseas assignment was as ambassador to Kyrgyzstan.