TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Formosan Association for Public Affairs launched a campaign in the US this week to pressure lawmakers to vote on the Taiwan Representative Office Act.
Thursday marked one year since the act to rename Taiwan’s diplomatic office in Washington was introduced to Congress. With no progress over the past year, the association is calling for US lawmakers to pass the bill before the end of this congressional term, per a press release.
The association says the change would better reflect Washington's diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, noting that the current name, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, is misleading since it suggests the office only represents Taipei. The act would reaffirm existing legislation like the Taiwan Relations Act and Six Assurances, while giving the people of Taiwan representation equivalent to other countries.
The press release notes that legislation like the Taiwan Travel Act, passed in 2018, refers to Taiwan simply as Taiwan. The US’ de facto embassy, the American Institute in Taiwan, also indicates Taiwan, rather than just Taipei.
At a time when military aggression and pressure tactics from China are steadily increasing, Formosan Association for Public Affairs President Kao Su-mei (林素梅) said that renaming the office would “send a clear message to the world about the depth of US support for its democratic allies.”
There is currently a version of the same bill in both the House of Representatives, sponsored by Don Bacon, and in the Senate, sponsored by John Curtis. Both bills were referred to the Committees on Foreign Relations in the first half of 2025, and are awaiting further action.
