A US House of Representatives committee yesterday passed a package bill that includes authorizing funding to help Taiwan improve its diplomacy and making the “six assurances” a formal law.
The Taiwan Allies Fund Act and Six Assurances to Taiwan Act were incorporated into the State Department Reauthorization Bills, which were passed by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs last night.
The acts were proposed by US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, who serves on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the US and the Chinese Communist Party.
Photo: Reuters
The Taiwan Allies Fund Act would authorize the executive branch to allocate US$120 million over a three-year period to assist Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and unofficial partners that are facing pressure from China.
Countries eligible to apply for the fund would have to be maintaining formal diplomatic relations or significantly reinforcing informal ties with Taiwan, facing coercion from China due to their relationship with Taiwan and lacking the economic or political capacity to effectively withstand Chinese pressure without US support.
The Six Assurances to Taiwan Act would require codifying into law the “six assurances” made by the administration of former US president Ronald Reagan and ensure that no administration can alter these principles without congressional approval.
The “six assurances” stipulate that the US would not set a date to end arms sales to Taiwan, change the Taiwan Relations Act, consult with China on arms sales to Taiwan or act as a mediator between Taiwan and China.
Regarding sovereignty, the assurances say that the US would not formally recognize Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan or pressure Taiwan to negotiate with China.
By advancing these bipartisan provisions, the US Congress is standing firmly with Taiwan to resist China’s coercion and intimidation, Krishnamoorthi said.
The two acts would bolster the partnership between Taiwan and the US, counter China’s economic coercion and reinforce peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, he said.
The package bill must be approved by the US House of Representatives, US Senate and US president to become law.
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