Members of the US House of Representatives yesterday reintroduced a bill that asks the US Department of State to review established guidelines on how the US engages with Taiwan.
Republican Ann Wagner and Democrats Gerry Connolly and Ted Lieu reintroduced the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which passed the House in 2023, but did not make it through the Senate.
Photo: EPA-EFE
According to a joint statement issued by the three lawmakers, the new version of the act would again require the State Department to conduct periodic reviews of its guidelines for US engagement with Taiwan and Taiwanese officials.
The reviews must include explanations of how the guidance deepens and expands US-Taiwan relations and consider that "Taiwan is a democratic partner and a free and open society that respects universal human rights and democratic values," the statement said.
They should also "identify opportunities to lift any remaining self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement and articulate a plan to do so," the statement said.
After severing ties with Taiwan in 1979, Washington developed guidelines to limit official interactions with Taiwan to avoid angering the People's Republic of China.
These guidelines have included banning senior US executive branch officials, including high-ranking military officers, from visiting Taiwan, while also blocking Taiwan's top leaders from traveling to the US.
Also, meetings between officials from the two sides have had to meet a list of requirements, such as being held at venues other than in official federal buildings or asking Taiwanese officials not to wear any official uniforms or insignia.
Former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo removed the guidelines in the final month of US President Donald Trump's first term in office.
However, many of the restrictions were later put back in place by the administration of former US president Joe Biden.
In the statement issued yesterday, Wagner was quoted as saying that "the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act will deepen the relationship between our countries and will signal to the world that the United States will never kowtow to Communist China."
"Now more than ever, it is imperative for the United States to demonstrate its unwavering support for our friend and ally, Taiwan," Connolly said.
"This [bill] will allow for a more unified approach in coordinating US-Taiwan relations and strengthen our essential partnership," Lieu was quoted as saying in the statement.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
RSS