Robert W. Forden

Robert W. Forden
United States Chargé d'affaires to China
In office
October 5, 2020 – July 11, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byTerry Branstad
as Ambassador
Succeeded byDavid Meale
as Chargé d'affaires
Personal details
BornAugust 1959 (age 66–67)
California, United States
SpouseHui-chuan Chi
Children3
EducationUniversity of California, Santa Cruz (B.A.)
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

Robert William Forden is an American diplomat who served as the United States' Chargé d'affaires to China from 2020 to 2021. He previously served as the deputy chief of mission to the American Institute in Taiwan and the deputy chief of mission to the Embassy of the United States in Beijing. He was President Joe Biden's nominee to be United States Ambassador to Cambodia,[1] but the nomination expired on January 3, 2025 before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee could act on it.

Early life and education

Forden was born in Southern California[2] in August 1959.[3] He earned a Bachelor of Arts in politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a postgraduate degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in international trade and Asian diplomatic history.[4]

Career

Forden's experience in China stems from his time teaching English at universities in Shenyang and Beijing from 1981 to 1983.[4] He has held a variety of diplomatic posts throughout his career, beginning with positions as an economic officer at the Embassy of the United States in Tel Aviv and Embassy of the United States in Hanoi.[4] While in Hanoi, he worked to complete and implement a trade agreement between the United States and Vietnam.[3] Forden served two stints at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing prior to his service as chargé d'affaires, from 1995 to 1998 and then again from 2007 to 2011.[2]

In 2002, Forden took a position as the head of mission at the American Institute in Taiwan Kaohsiung Branch Office, where he served until 2005.[3] He subsequently served as the deputy director of the State Department's China and Mongolia Affairs Office from 2005 to 2007.[2] In 2015, Forden was named the 15th deputy director of the American Institute in Taiwan, a position he held until 2018.[4][5]

Forden returned to Beijing in 2018 to serve as the United States' deputy chief of mission to China.[2][6] In 2020, Terry Branstad, the United States ambassador to China, was asked to step down by President Donald Trump, so that Branstad could assist with Trump's presidential campaign.[7] To replace him, Forden was appointed to the post of Chargé d'affaires.[4]

Ambassador to Cambodia

On June 22, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Forden to be the next ambassador to Cambodia.[1] His nomination was returned to Biden on January 3, 2023, as no action was taken on it for the rest of the year.[8]

President Biden renominated Forden the same day.[9] Though nominated twice, Forden was never confirmed to be the US Ambassador to Cambodia and the second Trump administration on June 2, 2026 nominated Christopher Anderson to be the next Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Cambodia.[10]

Personal life

Forden is married to Hui-chuan Chi (紀惠娟), a native of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.[3] They have three children.[4] He speaks Mandarin Chinese and Vietnamese.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 "President Biden Announces Key Nominees". The White House. June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Deputy Chief of Mission Robert W. Forden". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in China. Retrieved April 13, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 "New Chief of AIT Kaohsiung Branch Robert W. Forden to Assume Duties". American Institute in Taiwan. August 6, 2002. Retrieved March 2, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Chargé d'Affaires Robert W. Forden". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in China. Retrieved March 2, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. ↑ "曾派駐台北 谷立言接任AIT副處長 | 政治 | 要聞 | 聯合新聞網" (in Chinese). June 24, 2018. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  6. ↑ "China vows 'forceful countermeasures' over U.S. sanctions". Star Tribune. Associated Press. December 9, 2020. pp. A4. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ↑ Atwood, Kylie; Westcott, Ben; Culver, David; Collins, Kaitlan (September 15, 2020). "US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad stepping down following Trump campaign ask". CNN. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  8. ↑ "PN2270 - Nomination of Robert William Forden for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  9. ↑ "PN57 — Robert William Forden — Department of State 118th Congress (2023-2024)". US Congress. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  10. ↑ Nominations & Appointments (June 1, 2026). "Nominations and Withdrawal Sent to the Senate". The White House. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
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