Wagner Introduces Bill to Strengthen U.S. Support for an Independent Taiwan

Washington, D.C.  – Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), Vice Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement after she introduced legislation to further cement U.S. support of Taiwan. 

“I was deeply concerned when the Biden Administration decided to reimpose certain restrictions on contacts between U.S. and Taiwanese officials, a dangerous action that only emboldens China’s Communist Party and weakens U.S. support for our ally Taiwan. When Congress passed the Taiwan Assurance Act in 2020, we were crystal clear that the United States needed to eliminate these outdated and unnecessary restrictions on U.S.-Taiwan engagement. At a time of global instability, we must stand strong against China’s anti-democratic actions. President Biden’s bureaucratic red tape harms that stance, undermining our ability to coordinate more closely with Taiwan.

“I’m proud to introduce this bill to reinforce Congressional oversight on U.S.-Taiwan relations and ensure that changes in U.S. policies towards Taiwan are aimed at deepening and enhancing this important relationship. As Russia continues its appalling war on Ukraine with the support of the brutal dictatorships in Beijing and Tehran, the U.S. must boldly stand by its closest friends and partners.”

Background
For decades, most senior U.S. executive branch officials, including high-ranking military officers, were banned from visiting Taiwan to appease China. Similarly, Taiwan’s top leadership could not travel to the United States. Meetings and correspondence between U.S. officials and their Taiwanese counterparts had to meet a long list of complicated and arbitrary requirements, such as holding meetings at hotels rather than in official federal buildings or asking Taiwanese officials not to wear any official uniforms or insignia. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared all of these “guidelines” null and void in January 2021, a move Taiwan welcomed as the end of “decades of discrimination.” Many of these restrictions have since been put back in place by the Biden Administration. President Biden’s skittishness is a slap in the face to our partners in Taiwan, who should be allowed to proudly display their country’s flags and symbols in their engagement with the United States.

The Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act would require the Department of State to conduct periodic reviews of its guidelines for U.S. engagement with Taiwan. These regular reviews and updates must:

1. Explain how the guidance deepens and expands United States-Taiwan relations, and reflects the value, merits, and importance of the United States-Taiwan relationship;
2. Give due consideration to the fact that Taiwan is a democratic partner and a free and open society that respects universal human rights and democratic values;
3. Ensure that the conduct of relations with Taiwan reflects the longstanding, comprehensive, and values-based relationship the United States shares with Taiwan, and contribute to the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.
4. Identify opportunities to lift any remaining self-imposed limitations on U.S.-Taiwan engagement and articulate a plan to do so.