U.S. senators propose bill to support Taiwan's diplomatic ties with Latin America

Washington, Aug. 3 (CNA) A group of American senators has recently introduced a piece of bipartisan legislation to support Taiwan and its diplomatic partners in Latin America and the Caribbean, amid Beijing's continuous poaching of Taipei's allies in the region over the past years.

The proposed legislation, jointly initiated on Aug. 1 by Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley, Virginia's Senator Tim Kaine, Utah's John Curtis, and Nebraska's Pete Ricketts, is titled the United States-Taiwan Partnership in the Americas Act.

The proposed act would reaffirm Washington's policy of supporting countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that diplomatically recognize Taiwan, establish a mechanism to monitor and respond to China-backed infrastructure and development projects in these allies, and require regular reporting to Congress on China's pressure tactics and U.S. efforts to support Taiwan's partners.

The bill would also encourage deeper U.S.-Taiwan coordination in the region through joint development efforts, public diplomacy, and collaboration between U.S. embassies and Taiwan's representative offices, according to a press statement issued by Merkley's office.

"China's campaign to bully countries into abandoning Taiwan is part of its broader effort to reshape the global order through coercion and backroom deals," Merkley was quoted as saying in the press release.

"This bipartisan bill pushes back by supporting governments that choose to maintain ties with Taiwan and makes clear that every nation should be free to choose its partners without fear of retribution from Beijing," he added.

"This bill ensures the United States is not only monitoring China's coercive tactics, but actively responding with transparency, accountability, and strategic coordination. It sends a clear message: we stand with our allies, and we will not allow authoritarian pressure to dictate the choices of sovereign nations," said Curtis in the same press release.

The proposed legislation needs both Senate and House approval before the U.S. president can sign it into law or veto it.

Taiwan, officially named the Republic of China, has lost 10 diplomatic allies to the People's Republic of China since former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took office in May 2016, due to deteriorating cross-Taiwan Strait relations.

Five of them -- Panama, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras -- were Latin American countries. This has left the country with only 12 diplomatic allies worldwide.