Two US senators have reintroduced the Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act, which they said is aimed at updating and bolstering US policy to support Taiwan amid China’s military and diplomatic aggression.
Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Jeff Merkley on Tuesday introduced the act for the third time, after previous attempts in to get the legislation through Congress stalled.
In 2020, the bill was never included in the congressional agenda, while in 2021, it did not get further than the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
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“This bipartisan bill is more important than ever, as it reinforces our nation’s commitment to our democratic ally Taiwan, and strengthens our bilateral ties,” Rubio said in a joint news release with Merkley.
“Taiwan’s democracy is critical to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The United States’ support for Taiwan’s democracy plays a crucial role in defending that peace,” Merkley said.
If the bill were passed, it would change the status of the director of the American Institute in Taiwan to “representative,” and the representative’s appointment would have to be approved by the Senate, as is required for all US ambassadors.
It would also require the US president to establish an “interagency Taiwan task force” composed of senior government officials who would submit an annual report to Congress detailing actions that should be taken to enhance Taiwan-US relations.
Another provision would establish a nonprofit cultural exchange foundation, which would work with local governments and educational institutions to send US high-school and university students to Taiwan to study Chinese, history and politics.
The bill would also direct the US secretary of state to submit a report to Congress on how the US could work with Taipei to establish an alternative to China’s Confucius Institutes, which offer Chinese-language education courses globally.
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