On December 2, US President Donald Trump signed the “Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act,” which aims to promote strengthened relations with Taiwan.
The bill had previously passed both the Senate and the House unanimously. Ann Wagner, a Republican member of the House who introduced the bill, stated that it “sends a message that we stand firm against the Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to dominate Taiwan.”
In 1979, the United States formally severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan when it established diplomatic ties with China. Since then, the US has maintained de facto exchanges with Taiwan but has done so under its ‘self-imposed restrictions,’ relying on non-public contacts and similar limitations.
The “Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act” is assessed as aiming ultimately to dismantle these US self-imposed restrictions. The bill mandates the US State Department to review current guidelines governing exchanges with Taiwan every five years, explore whether further restrictions should be lifted, and formulate concrete implementation plans for doing so. The State Department has been the agency responsible for managing regulations on the modes of contact between US federal officials and Taiwanese officials.
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung expressed “gratitude for the bipartisan support of the US administration and Congress,” calling it “an important step forward for the development of US–Taiwan relations.”
On the 3rd, Zhang Han, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, stated at a regular briefing that “China firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between the United States and China’s Taiwan region,” stressing that “this position is consistent and clear.”
She added that “The U.S. side’s so-called bill grossly interferes in China’s internal affairs, seriously violates the one-China principle and the spirit of the three Sino-U.S. joint communiqués.”
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian also emphasized that “The Taiwan question is at the core of China’s core interests and is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations.”
Regarding the recent deterioration of China–Japan diplomatic relations following Japan’s indications of possible involvement in a Taiwan contingency, Bloomberg noted that “Trump signed the bill amid growing concerns that China could take ‘action’ against Taiwan.”
