WASHINGTON —
After Republican President Donald Trump took office, several Republican congressmen who have long supported Taiwan and are in control of the new Congress have reintroduced pro-Taiwan bills that were not completed by the previous Congress this week. These bills include a joint resolution requiring the United States to formally recognize Taiwan and a bill supporting Taiwan’s entry into the International Monetary Fund (IMF), showing the Republican Party’s intention to continue to strengthen support for Taiwan in the new Congress.
Representatives Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania on Thursday (February 6) jointly introduced a joint resolution expressing the views of the U.S. Congress. Congress believes that the United States should abolish the “outdated ‘One China Policy'”, “restore normal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, negotiate a bilateral free trade agreement with Taiwan, and support Taiwan’s membership in international organizations.”
Taiwan has never been under the control of the People’s Republic of China – not even for a single day. It’s past time for US policy to reflect this undeniable truth and end the “One China” policy.
Tiffany and Perry jointly proposed a resolution with the same content in the previous Congress last January, and nearly 20 House members co-signed it at that time. The resolution proposed again this time was supported by 22 Republican members, including Chris Smith, former chairman of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and Congressmen Kat Cammack and Scott Fitzgerald.
End the outdated one-China policy
In a statement, Tiffany said that the joint resolution he and Congressman Perry co-sponsored and co-signed by 22 members of Congress aims to restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan and “end the outdated, counterproductive and dishonest ‘one China’ policy.” The statement also mentioned that the resolution encourages the Trump administration to support Taiwan’s entry into international organizations and promote the negotiation and signing of a bilateral free trade agreement between the United States and Taiwan to further deepen the cooperative relationship between the two sides.
“Taiwan has never been under the control of the People’s Republic of China – not even for a single day. It is a free, democratic and independent country, and it is past time for U.S. policy to reflect this undeniable fact,” Tiffany said.
The resolution points out that communist China has “weaponized” the United States’ so-called “One China Policy” to obstruct Taiwan’s participation in international organizations and activities including the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the Olympic Games. This so-called “One China Policy” is outdated and is no longer useful to the Taiwanese or American people. It cannot reflect the obvious fact that Taiwan has been a sovereign and independent country for more than 70 years.
The resolution also said that Taiwan and the United States maintained normal diplomatic relations and signed a Mutual Defense Treaty until President Carter abruptly abandoned both in 1979 without the approval of Congress; Congress responded by passing the landmark, bipartisan Taiwan Relations Act, which established in law the basis for continued friendly relations between the United States and the people of Taiwan; former President Reagan further strengthened relations with Taiwan by issuing the “Six Assurances,” emphasizing that “the United States has not changed its position on Taiwan’s sovereignty” and pointing out that the United States has never accepted the Chinese Communist Party’s claim to Taiwan’s sovereignty.
In addition, the resolution said that former U.S. President Bill Clinton had also declared that differences between Beijing and Taiwan “must be resolved peacefully with the consent of the people of Taiwan”; President Donald Trump approved arms sales to Taiwan and signed bipartisan legislation allowing high-level U.S. and Taiwanese officials to communicate and cooperate, and Taiwan remains a strong ally of the United States and a serious and responsible member of the international community. Congress therefore made the following observations:
Recognize the legitimacy of Taipei’s democratically elected government
1. The President of the United States should abandon the outdated one-China policy and adopt a policy that recognizes the objective reality that Taiwan is an independent country that is not under the jurisdiction of the People’s Republic of China and is not part of its territory;
2. The President of the United States should recognize the legitimacy of the democratically elected national government in Taipei, normalize diplomatic relations between the two countries, appoint a U.S. ambassador to Taiwan, and receive a Taiwanese ambassador to the United States;
3. The US President should revoke government agency guidelines that unilaterally restrict normal communication and interaction between US and Taiwanese officials;
4. The U.S. Trade Representative should initiate formal negotiations to establish a free trade agreement with Taiwan; and
5. The President of the United States, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and other relevant U.S. officials should take steps to advocate for Taiwan’s membership in the United Nations and other international organizations of which the United States is a member.
Meanwhile, California Republican Congresswoman Young Kim and Texas Democratic Congressman Al Green on Tuesday jointly introduced the bipartisan Taiwan Non-Discrimination Act to ensure that the U.S. government speaks out for Taiwan’s participation in the International Monetary Fund.
As the 21st largest economy in the world and 10th largest goods trading partner of the United States, Taiwan deserves a seat at the IMF.I’m proud to lead a bipartisan bill to allow Taiwan’s perspective to be heard in international
In February last year and November 2021, Jin Yingyu co-proposed bipartisan bills with Democratic California Congressmen Brad Sherman and Al Green, respectively.
Taiwan should have a seat in the IMF
“As the world’s 21st largest economy and the United States’ 10th largest goods trading partner, Taiwan deserves a seat in the IMF,” Jin Yingyu said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We can no longer allow the Chinese Communist Party to suppress Taiwan’s voice and freedoms. I am proud to lead this bipartisan bill to ensure Taiwan’s views are represented in international financial decision-making, and I will always speak up for our freedom-loving partners and allies,” she said.
Congressman Green also said in a statement that he was honored to co-sponsor this bill with Kim Young-ok again.
“Taiwan has always been an important member of the global economy, and its return to the IMF will benefit all countries involved, and this bipartisan legislation underscores our commitment to Taiwan’s growth and to strengthening democratic values around the world,” he said.
The bill, numbered HR910, requires the U.S. representative at the International Monetary Fund to advocate for: 1) Taiwan to become a member of the IMF; 2) Taiwan to participate in the IMF’s regular monitoring of Taiwan’s economic and financial policies; 3) Taiwanese citizens to be employed by the IMF; 4) Taiwan to be able to receive technical assistance and training from the IMF.
Beijing: Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territoryChina’s official Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday that a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to some remarks made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding Taiwan during his visit to Latin America, reiterating that there is only one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing all of China.
“The fact that 183 countries around the world have established diplomatic relations with China fully proves that adhering to the one-China principle is in line with international justice, the will of the people and the trend of the times. The Taiwan issue is purely China’s internal affair and brooks no external interference,” the unnamed spokesman said.
During a meeting with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo, Rubio said the United States supports Guatemala in maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan and will do its utmost to help Guatemala expand this relationship and promote more investment from Taiwan in Guatemala to benefit the country’s economic development.
Among the Latin American countries that Rubio visited, including Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, only Guatemala currently maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan.