U.S. senators reintroduce Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act

Washington, May 7 (CNA) Two United States senators have reintroduced the Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act, which they said aims to reaffirm U.S. policy to support Taiwan's democracy and international engagement amid China's increasing diplomatic and military aggression.

Republican John Curtis and Democrat Jeff Merkley introduced the bill on Monday for the fourth time, after previous attempts in 2020, 2021 and 2023 stalled, as the bill never got any further than the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

"Our alliance with Taiwan is one of the most strategically and morally significant partnerships America has in the Indo-Pacific, and we need to ensure our policies match our principles," Curtis said in a joint statement with Merkley.

"The Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act will deepen our relationship with Taiwan by elevating the status of our top diplomat, incentivizing high-level cooperation and visits between our governments, and combating Chinese Communist Party disinformation campaigns targeting Taiwan," Curtis said.

If the act passes, it would change the status of the head of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties.

Under the act, the position of AIT director would be changed to "representative," and the representative's appointment would have to be approved by the Senate, as is required for all U.S. ambassadors.

It would also require the U.S. president to establish an "interagency Taiwan task force," comprising senior government officials who would contribute to annual reports to Congress on actions that should be taken to enhance U.S.-Taiwan relations.

Another provision in the bill would require the U.S. secretary of state to report to Congress on strategies to help counter "sharp power operations" by the Chinese government against Taiwan.

Sharp power refers to diplomatic and political manipulation by one country to influence and undermine the political system of a target country.

More broadly, the bill would also instruct the U.S. government to support Taiwan's participation in international organizations, advance negotiations on a bilateral trade deal, and invite Taiwan counterparts to high-level multilateral and bilateral summits, military exercises and economic dialogues.

If it advances through the Senate, the bill would also need to be passed in the House of Representatives and signed by the U.S. president to become law.