TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. senators from both sides of the aisle on Tuesday (Oct. 24) again proposed the Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act, which according to the bill's authors is designed to strengthen relations between the U.S. and Taiwan.
That day, Republican Senator Marco Rubio announced that amid the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP's) efforts to undermine Taiwan and its engagement with the world, he along with Democrat Senator Jeff Merkley reintroduced the Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act to "update and bolster U.S. policy to support Taiwan." Among the measures included in the bill would be to change the status of the head of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and would require the White House to set up an interdepartmental Taiwan policy working group.
Rubio pointed out that the CCP is isolating Taiwan through economic and political coercion, and "Beijing will stop at nothing with its predatory aggressions against Taiwan." Rubio argued that this bill is more important than ever because it reinforces Washington's commitment to Taiwan and boosts bilateral ties.
Merkley said that Taiwan's democracy is crucial to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, and U.S. support for Taiwan's democracy plays an important role in safeguarding this peace. Merkely said that the U.S. and Taiwan "share fundamental values," and the U.S. must continue to build a "robust relationship" with Taiwan through diplomatic and economic means to advance these values.
The bill requires the U.S. president to establish an "Interagency Taiwan Policy Task Force" that includes the Office of the President, the National Security Council, the State Department, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Commerce, and the Office of the United States Trade Representative within 90 days of the bill taking effect to strengthen Taiwan-U.S. relations.
It also requires that the appointment of the director of the AIT office in Taipei must be approved by the Senate, and the title should be changed to "Representative." According to the U.S. Constitution, presidential appointees for U.S. ambassadors to foreign countries require Senate approval, but the AIT director is appointed by the U.S. Secretary of State and does not require Senate confirmation.
The proposed act would also require that Taiwanese officials be invited to attend bilateral or multilateral high-level summits, military exercises, economic dialogues, and forums. It calls on the U.S. permanent representative to the U.N. and other relevant officials to actively support "Taiwan's membership and meaningful participation in the international organizations.
The legislation states that the U.S. government should consult with businesses and non-governmental entities to develop a code of conduct for interactions with China's government, the CCP, and their affiliated entities. It prohibits any U.S. government agency from formally or informally recognizing China's sovereignty claims over Taiwan without the consent of the Taiwanese people.
In terms of culture and education, the secretary of state would be required to submit a report within 90 days of the enactment of the legislation on cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan governments on steps taken to promote "freedom, democracy, universal values, culture, and history" along with Mandarin language courses.
In response to China's "sharp power operations" against Taiwan, the bill calls for the secretary of state to develop policies within 180 days of the bill's enactment to address China's disinformation campaigns, cyber intrusions, political influence on local parties, financial institutions, and media organizations in Taiwan. It also calls for providing support for exchanges and technical assistance to bolster the ability of Taiwan's legal system to repel sharp power operations.
Rubio and Merkley previously introduced this bill in 2020 and 2021. This piece of legislation is considered by many to be an updated version of the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.
