A former senior national security director for China and Taiwan to U.S. President Joe Biden has been tapped as the incoming chair to the de facto U.S. embassy to Taiwan.

Laura Rosenberger, who most recently served as special assistant to the president and National Security Council's senior director for China and Taiwan, will replace James Moriarty as chair of the Board of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on March 20, the AIT said in a press release.

"As AIT Chair, Ms. Rosenberger will participate in policy-level discussions on Taiwan and represent the Administration in visits to Taiwan and in meetings with Taiwan representatives in the United States," it said.

"Ms. Rosenberger will bring to AIT nearly two decades of deep, high-level experience on the Indo-Pacific, including on Taiwan, China, cross-Strait, and broader national security issues," it added.

Moriarty is retiring after serving as AIT chair since 2016.

AIT represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.

It is headquartered in Virginia and has a main office in Taipei and a branch office in Kaohsiung.

Its Taipei director served as the top U.S. envoy to Taiwan in the lack of diplomatic relations while its chair serves more of a ceremonial role.

A Reuters report cited four people familiar with the Biden administration's thinking said Rosenberger will take a more "hands-on approach" to unofficial ties with Taiwan than her immediate two predecessors.

A major focus of her job, the people said, will be to maintain communication channels with candidates in Taiwan's presidential election in early 2024, a potentially fraught moment between Taipei and Beijing, according to Reuters.

Asked to comment, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) welcomed the appointment of the new AIT chair on behalf of the Taiwan government while thanking Moriarty for enhancing Taiwan-U.S. relations during his seven-year tenure.