U.S. Senate committee approves bill on Taiwan engagement guidelines

Washington, March 27 (CNA) The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Thursday approved a bill mandating the State Department to review and update its policy guidance on Taiwan every five years due to the ever-changing geopolitical situation and growing risk of a Chinese invasion.

The Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act was introduced by Republican Senator John Cornyn and Democrat Chris Coons on March 3.

In 2023, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill of the same name, which authorized the secretary of state to review the guidelines on exchanges with Taiwan and submit a report to Congress every two years.

However, the version proposed by Cornyn and Coons this time includes more detailed provisions, such as amending the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020, regularly reviewing the "Guidelines on Relations with Taiwan" and related documents, and reissuing guidance to executive branch departments and agencies.

After completing its review, the State Department must submit a report to both the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs within 90 days.

"Our commitment to Taiwan must be backed by an approach that evolves with the changing realities in the Indo-Pacific," Coons said in a press release issued earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Cornyn said this legislation would help reinstate a strong Taiwan strategy at the State Department.

"The threat China poses to the stability of the Indo-Pacific, including our friend and ally Taiwan, is ever-evolving, and our diplomatic guidance must be able to keep up," he added.

The bill must be passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives through a voting process before it is signed into law by the U.S. president. A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a counterpart bill in late February, but the voting schedule has not yet been announced.