U.S. lawmakers reintroduce bill on Taiwan engagement guidelines

Washington, Feb. 25 (CNA) Members of the United States House of Representatives reintroduced a bill on Tuesday that asks the State Department to review established guidelines on how America engages with Taiwan.

Republican Ann Wagner and Democrats Gerry Connolly and Ted Lieu reintroduced the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which passed the House in 2023 but did not make it through the Senate.

According to a joint statement issued by the three lawmakers, the 2025 version of the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act would again require the Department of State to conduct periodic reviews of its guidelines for U.S. engagement with Taiwan and Taiwanese officials.

The reviews must include explanations of how the guidance deepens and expands United States-Taiwan relations and consider that "Taiwan is a democratic partner and a free and open society that respects universal human rights and democratic values," the statement said.

They should also "identify opportunities to lift any remaining self-imposed limitations on U.S.-Taiwan engagement and articulate a plan to do so," the statement said.

After severing ties with Taiwan, officially named the Republic of China, in 1979, Washington developed guidelines to limit official interactions with Taiwan to avoid angering the People's Republic of China, which sees Taiwan as part of its territory.

These guidelines have included banning senior American executive branch officials, including high-ranking military officers, from visiting Taiwan, while also blocking Taiwan's top leaders from traveling to the U.S.

Also, meetings between officials from the two sides have had to meet a list of requirements, such as being held at venues other than in official federal buildings or asking Taiwanese officials not to wear any official uniforms or insignia.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo removed the guidelines in the final month of Donald Trump's first term as president, just weeks before Joe Biden took office.

But many of the restrictions were later put back in place by the Biden administration.

In the statement issued Tuesday, Wagner was quoted as saying that "the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act will deepen the relationship between our countries and will signal to the world that the United States will never kowtow to Communist China."

"Now more than ever, it is imperative for the United States to demonstrate its unwavering support for our friend and ally, Taiwan," Connolly said.

"This [bill] will allow for a more unified approach in coordinating U.S.-Taiwan relations and strengthen our essential partnership," Lieu was quoted as saying in the same statement.