The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations yesterday passed a bill that would require the US Department of State to review guidance on relations with Taiwan at least every five years and submit a report to Congress.
The “Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act” must still be passed by the full US Senate and House of Representatives before being signed into law by the president.
The committee yesterday reviewed the bipartisan bill, proposed by Republican Senator John Cornyn and Democratic Senator Chris Coons on March 3.
Photo: AFP
A bill of the same name was passed by the US House of Representatives in 2023 with an overwhelming majority, allowing the US secretary of state to review guidelines on US-Taiwan relations and report to Congress at least every two years.
This latest bill provides more specific timelines and measures, and would implement amendments to the 2020 Taiwan Assurance Act.
The bill would require the secretary of state to periodically review related documents, including the periodic memorandum “Guidelines on Relations with Taiwan,” and reissue guidance to executive branch departments and agencies within 90 days.
An updated report would then be submitted to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
In US President Donald Trump’s first term, he removed self-imposed restrictions on US-Taiwan relations, although some were reinstated when former US president Joe Biden took office.
During Trump’s first term, then-US secretary of health and human services Alex Azar led a delegation to Taiwan in 2020, becoming the highest-ranking US cabinet official to visit since the US severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979.
However, in the past four years under Biden, diplomatic visits have been limited to officials such as then-American Institute in Taiwan chair Laura Rosenberger.
With avid Taiwan supporter Marco Rubio now serving as secretary of state, there is speculation that self-imposed restrictions would be lifted.
“The threat China poses to the stability of the Indo-Pacific, including our friend and ally Taiwan, is ever-evolving, and our diplomatic guidance must be able to keep up,” Coons said when introducing the bill.
“Our commitment to Taiwan must be backed by an approach that evolves with the changing realities in the Indo-Pacific,” he added.
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a companion bill late last month, although a voting schedule is yet to be announced.
Earlier this week, Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi and Republican Senator John Curtis stated plans to reintroduce the “Taiwan Allies Fund Act” during the current term.
The new legislation would authorize "key development aid to countries that have official or strong unofficial relations with Taiwan," Krishnamoorthi said.
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