Amid a flurry of news from US President Donald Trump’s White House that has raised questions about Washington’s commitment to Taiwan’s security, overseas Taiwanese groups have been working the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue to codify support for the democratic nation into US law.
At the forefront of what has been a cross-generational effort is the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA), one of Washington’s oldest Taiwanese-American advocacy organizations.
Founded more than four decades ago, its official vision statement is that “a free, democratic, independent and sovereign Taiwan is essential to peace and security for the United States, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region.” FAPA has long cultivated bipartisan support, playing a pivotal role in the formation of the Taiwan caucuses in both chambers of the US Congress.
Trump’s alleged denial of President William Lai’s (賴清德) New York transit and his blocking of US$400 million in military aid ahead of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), as well as the downgrading of military talks with Taiwan, have raised concerns about how far US presidents can go when pushed by Chinese demands.
Observers have long cited the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and the “six assurances” as the cornerstone of Taiwan-US relations. However, while the TRA carries the force of law, the “six assurances,” first adopted by then-US president Ronald Reagan in 1982, are only government policy. Although in place for nearly half a century, it can still be scrapped should a US administration choose so. Codifying the “six assurances” would guarantee no end date for arms sales to Taiwan, no consultation with Beijing on such sales and no US mediation in Taiwan-China disputes, regardless of who sits in the Oval Office.
FAPA’s efforts have seen progress. Earlier this month, the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs advanced the Six Assurances to Taiwan Act and the Taiwan Allies Fund Act. The group is also working with US senators to pass the Providing Our Regional Companions Upgraded Protection in Nefarious Environments (PORCUPINE) Act. Should these pass, they would simplify the arms sales process, which would help expedite deliveries to Taiwan by granting it the same treatment as NATO Plus countries.
FAPA president Kao Su-mei (林素梅) said that support for Taiwan has always been rooted in a decades-long grassroots movement, mobilizing communities across generations and regions around a shared commitment to freedom, democracy and human rights.
She said the organization has gained new momentum by opening its doors to all who share the goal of defending Taiwan and its democracy.
That momentum is visible at the chapter level. Tim Chng (莊騰程), president of FAPA’s Maryland chapter, said membership has expanded among younger generations with diverse political views. He said that Xi’s increasing military aggression and coercive actions — including Chinese drilling in Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone — have drawn in new members, even from families that have traditionally supported the China-friendly Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
To raise awareness in US political circles, Taiwanese-American advocates have also become more creative. This year, FAPA’s long-running Emerging Leaders Workshop, traditionally held in Washington, was hosted in Taipei for the first time.
Executive director Anny Hsiao (蕭喬勻) said the shift was designed to enable the next generation of policy professionals to engage directly with Taiwan, meeting its people, experiencing its democracy and gaining firsthand insight into the security challenges it faces.
Hsiao said that once the participants return to Washington, they would be better equipped to shape policies that safeguard Taiwan’s long-term future and strengthen US strategy and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region.
The program, which in previous years brought young Taiwanese policymakers and analysts to the Beltway, this time exposed emerging US policy influencers to Taiwan’s democracy on the ground.
They met with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), crisscrossing Taiwan to visit different branches of government, think tanks, semiconductor fabs and others across public, business and civil society.
Such US-based Taiwanese diaspora groups are working to translate the already broad bipartisan consensus on Taiwan into law. By doing so, they aim to remove vulnerabilities that Chinese disinformation campaigns often exploit, such as the hypothetical notion that a future US administration might consider “Taiwan being up for sale,” and in doing so, secure long-term deterrence.
Rath Wang is a senior policy fellow at Safe Spaces, a consulting firm based in Taipei and Washington focusing on Taiwan’s politics, media, civil society, and key issues influencing Taiwan’s future. He is a producer and host of political talk shows and podcasts and has worked on political campaigns and advocacies in Taiwan and the US. He can be reached at rathwang@safespacesllc.com.
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