TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — US Congress members Thursday introduced a resolution calling for restoring diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
A group of 24 House Republicans introduced a resolution urging the Trump administration to abolish the “outdated, counter-productive, and dishonest ‘one-China’ policy,” resume formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, negotiate a bilateral free trade agreement, and support Taiwan's inclusion in international organizations.
The concurrent resolution, primarily introduced by Representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, said that the “so-called ‘One-China Policy’ is obsolete, does not serve the people of Taiwan or the United States, and fails to reflect the obvious reality that Taiwan has been a sovereign and independent country for over 70 years.”
The resolution asserts that Taiwan’s diplomatic, cultural, and economic ties with several countries demonstrate its “clear and indisputable independence from China.” It calls on Trump to abandon the one-China policy and recognize the “objective reality that Taiwan is an independent nation,” not governed by China or included within its territory.
The resolution urges Trump to acknowledge the legitimacy of Taiwan’s democratically elected government, normalize bilateral diplomatic relations, and allow the exchange of ambassadors between the two nations. It also calls for removing agency guidelines restricting normal communication and interaction between US and Taiwanese officials.
In addition, it recommends that the US trade representative initiate formal negotiations for a free trade agreement with Taiwan.
Tiffany and other lawmakers further urged Trump, the US ambassador to the United Nations, and other officials to take measures supporting Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations in which the US participates.
In a press release Thursday, Tiffany reiterated that Taiwan is a “free, democratic, and independent nation” that has never been under China’s control. Tiffany stressed that US policy should have long reflected this “undeniable objective truth.”
Tiffany, a representative from Wisconsin, has repeatedly introduced similar resolutions and bills over the years. A concurrent resolution expresses Congress’s stance or opinion on a specific issue but does not require the president’s signature and does not carry legal force.
Other pro-Taiwan lawmakers supporting the resolution include Chris Smith, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, who called on the Olympics to halt the use of “Chinese Taipei” for Taiwan, and Andy Ogles, who last year urged former Secretary of State Antony Blinken to allow the State Department to attend the Taiwan National Day event.
