TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday approved a bill calling on the US State Department to lift restrictions on government contacts with Taiwan officials.
The Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, put forward by Senators John Cornyn and Chris Coons, requires the US State Department to review and update US-Taiwan engagement guidelines at least once every five years, per CNA. The department must also report to Congress on any self-imposed restrictions that have been lifted.
The House of Representatives passed a similar bill with broad support in 2023, authorizing the secretary of state to regularly review US-Taiwan engagement guidelines and report to Congress at least every two years on plans to remove self-imposed restrictions. The version proposed by Cornyn and Coons provides more specific timelines and implementation measures.
The new version seeks to amend the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020, granting the secretary of state the authority to review US-Taiwan engagement guidelines at least once every five years. This includes periodic updates to the "Guidelines on Relations with Taiwan" and related documents, which must then be disseminated to all relevant US government agencies.
According to the bill, the State Department must submit a report to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs within 90 days of completing its review. The report must detail which self-imposed restrictions the Secretary of State has lifted under the updated engagement guidelines.
Before leaving office, the previous Trump administration lifted several self-imposed restrictions on US-Taiwan engagement. However, some of these were reinstated under former US President Joe Biden.
Coons introduced the bill on March 3, saying in a joint press release with Cornyn the US commitment to Taiwan "must be backed by an approach that evolves with the changing realities in the Indo-Pacific." Cornyn added that China's threats to regional stability and to “our friend and ally Taiwan” are constantly evolving.
“Our diplomatic guidance must be able to keep up,” said Cornyn. He added that the bill will “help reinstate a strong Taiwan strategy at the State Department at a time when we need it most.”
The bill must pass both the full Senate and House before being signed into law by the president. A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a counterpart bill in late February, but a voting schedule has yet to be announced.
In addition to the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi and Senator John Curtis have announced plans to introduce the Taiwan Allies Fund Act soon. This legislation aims to support countries that face pressure from the Chinese government for maintaining diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
