U.S. reiterates commitment to Taiwan under new engagement law

Washington, Dec. 3 (CNA) The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that Washington's longstanding commitment to Taiwan remained unchanged, after U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act into law.

The law, signed by Trump on Tuesday, aims to ease limits on bilateral engagement and support Taiwan's participation in international organizations.

"This administration has been very clear that the enduring U.S. commitment to Taiwan continues, as it has for over four decades," a State Department spokesperson told CNA but did not say whether any of the U.S.' self-imposed limits on its engagement with Taiwan would be lifted.

Under longstanding U.S. policy and the Taiwan Relations Act, Washington and Taipei enjoy a robust unofficial relationship built on shared values, substantial economic links, and strong people-to-people connections, the spokesperson said.

"The robust unofficial ties between the United States and Taiwan are strengthened by routine, regular travel and interaction by U.S. and Taiwan authorities, under the auspices of the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States," the spokesperson added.

Also on Wednesday, Craig Singleton, senior director of the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told CNA that the most important aspect of the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act is that it requires the State Department to regularly review and justify the U.S.' engagement guidelines with Taiwan.

He was referring to the section that requires the State Department to review its guidance governing relations with Taiwan at least every five years, which is a change from the initial one-time-only requirement.

"That may sound procedural, but it matters," Singleton said, when asked to comment on the new law.

The new requirement pushes officials to ask whether longstanding practices still serve U.S. interests, rather than simply doing things "because we've always done it that way," he said.

Also asked to comment on the new law, Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said he does not believe that China should have the right to veto U.S. policies toward Taiwan.

"I think the White House has been quite clear that President Trump's focus is on keeping the U.S.-China meetings on track for next April, November, and possibly December," Cooper told CNA.

Unless U.S.-China relations deteriorate, Cooper said, he expects the U.S. administration to steer clear of actions that could provoke Beijing. He said, however, that he doubts the Trump administration will ease restrictions on engagements between the U.S. and Taiwan over the next year.

Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at the Hudson Institute, said the law gives the Trump administration the authority to strengthen ties with Taiwan if needed, and he expressed the view that China is likely to resist any efforts to expand such engagement.