Washington, D.C.- Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fl) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) have reintroduced the Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act to reinvigorate U.S. policy to support Taiwan.
Taiwan, officially known as the ‘Republic of China’, is a free and democratic state which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) characterizes as belonging to the People’s Republic of China.
The United States informally recognizes Taiwan’s independence but has not officially recognized Taiwan as a sovereign state in fear of destabilizing relations with the CCP.
Senators Rubio and Merkley’s legislation is an attempt to increase US-Taiwanese ties to nurture and preserve Taiwan’s independence from mainland China.
“This bipartisan bill is more important than ever as it reinforces our nation’s commitment to our democratic ally, Taiwan, and strengthens our bilateral ties,” said Rubio via press release.
The bill would encourage the United States Government to invite Taiwan to participate in bilateral and multilateral military training exercises. Additionally, it would create an interagency Taiwan policy task force and elevate the U.S. Representative to Taiwan to a Senate-confirmed position.
Merkley underscored the importance of solidifying current ties between the two states.
“The United States and Taiwan share fundamental values, and we must use diplomatic and economic tools to keep building a robust relationship with Taiwan to advance those values,” explained Merkley.
Merkley and Rubio introduced similar bills in March and October of 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Earlier this year, Rubio filed another bipartisan bill demanding the United States formulate a strategy to counteract a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Named the Taiwan Protection and National Resilience Act, the bill would require multiple agencies, including the Defense and State Departments to draft a defense plan responding to a hypothetical Chinese Invasion.
