Sandra Oudkirk
Sandra Springer Oudkirk (Chinese: 孫曉雅; Wade–Giles: Sun Hsiao-ya) is a United States diplomat who previously served as Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de facto embassy of the United States in Taiwan.Oudkirk's prior appointments include U.S. Senior Official for APEC and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.Oudkirk's prior appointments include U.S. Senior Official for APEC and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.[8][9] In a December 2023 interview with NPR, when asked if she believed a PRC invasion of Taiwan was imminent, Oudkirk stated: "There's an important distinction between making plans and training troops and actually, you know, getting ready to do something.And I think we have even heard from the PRC [People's Republic of China] themselves that their preference would be for a peaceful reunification.