The US Department of State on Friday issued new guidelines governing US officials’ interactions with their Taiwanese counterparts, a move welcomed by Taipei as turning a new page in bilateral relations.
Shortly before leaving office, then-US secretary of state Mike Pompeo on Jan. 9 announced the cancelation of previous contact guidelines, which he said were “self-imposed restrictions” that attempted to appease the Chinese Communist Party regime in Beijing.
However, the status of the guidelines has been unclear since US President Joe Biden entered the White House.
Photo: Tyrone Siu, Reuters
Asked about the issue during a legislative session on Thursday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said the adjustments could be significant.
The department on Friday said it had issued the new guidelines to “encourage US government engagement with Taiwan that reflects our deepening unofficial relationship.”
The guidelines “liberalize guidance on contacts with Taiwan, consistent with our unofficial relations, and provide clarity throughout the executive branch on effective implementation of our ‘one China’ policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiques, and the ‘six assurances,’” it said in a news release.
“The guidance underscores Taiwan is a vibrant democracy, and an important security and economic partner that is also a force for good in the international community,” it said. “The new guidelines have been issued following a review as set forth in the Taiwan Assurance Act.”
The Taiwan Assurance Act, signed into law by then-US president Donald Trump in December last year, requires the US Department of State to review the contact guidelines, in addition to supporting normalized sales of arms to Taiwan and Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations.
The department did not publish the entire content of the new guidelines, and the American Institute in Taiwan said it has no details to offer beyond the department’s statement at the moment.
The new guidelines, which were circulated within US government agencies but not released to the public, reportedly allow US officials to hold regular meetings with their Taiwanese counterparts, including at Taiwan’s representative offices in the US.
The policy would also allow officials to participate in meetings at Twin Oaks, the former residence of Taiwanese ambassadors to the US which is now used for official functions, although they would not be allowed to attend celebrations of Double Ten National Day and other Taiwanese holidays, the Central News Agency reported.
As for whether Taiwan’s president, vice president, premier, vice premier and ministers of defense and foreign affairs — the so-called six high-ranking officials — can visit Washington, Wu said on Thursday that such visits are not covered by the guidelines.
Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) yesterday welcomed the new guidelines and anticipated more interactions between the two nations.
Relaxing the contact guidelines is a move that has bipartisan support in the US, he said.
The revised guidelines aim to reflect the close Taiwan-US interactions of the past few years and relax “untimely” restrictions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a news release.
The US explained related content to Taiwan prior to its announcement of the guidelines, it said, adding that it welcomes the department’s reaffirmation of its “rock-solid” commitments to Taiwan through action.
The revised guidelines explicitly promote relations with Taiwan, while opening a new page in bilateral ties as the US’ Taiwan Relations Act enters its 42nd year this year, the ministry said.
Additional reporting by CNA
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
RSS