American Institute in Taiwan Kaohsiung (AITK) Branch Chief Neil Gibson and Deputy Branch Chief Samuel Goffman visited Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che at Tainan City Hall on September 11. The visitors were welcomed by the Mayor and Department of Information and International Relations Director-General Su En-en. In addition to having preliminary discussions on Taiwan-US interactions, Mayor Huang also invited the AIT officials to participate in the Tainan 400 series event next year.
Mayor Huang Wei-che thanked the Branch Chief for visiting Tainan in the second week of his term of office (the Chief and his deputy assumed office in August 2023) and hoped that the guests would learn more about Tainan’s culture, people, and delicacies during this trip. The Mayor expressed that over the years, AIT representatives in Taiwan often visited Tainan on holidays and hopefully Chief Gibson will return to Tainan soon with his family. Finally, Huang invited Mr. Gibson to visit Tainan next year and take part in the Tainan 400 series event as well as the Taiwan Lantern Festival and the International Orchid Show at the beginning of the year.
The Mayor also mentioned that today marks the 22nd anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Taiwan and the US share similar beliefs and values in democracy and freedom and will continue to stand in solidarity on the side of democracy and justice.
AITK Branch Chief Neil Gibson thanked Mayor Huang for his warm welcome and looks forward to more interactions between the US and Southern Taiwan to further deepen the friendship and partnerships between the citizens.
This is Branch Chief Neil Gibson’s second term of office in Taiwan. He has served at the U.S. Embassies to Japan, the Philippines, and Iraq as well as the U.S. Mission to the OECD in Paris. Deputy Branch Chief Samuel Goffman has been in the Foreign Service for twelve years and has served in the U.S. Embassies to China, Poland, and other locations.