U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a bill aimed at deepening ties with Taiwan. Amid rapidly cooling relations between China and Japan following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks regarding a possible Taiwan contingency, observers predict that this pro-Taiwan move by the United States will provoke a backlash from China.
According to Bloomberg and Taiwan's Central News Agency on December 2 (local time), President Trump signed the "Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act" at the White House on this day.
Donald Trump, President of the United States, and Xi Jinping, President of China, are shaking hands as they leave the meeting room after concluding the US-China summit at Naraemaru Protocol Room, Busan Gimhae Air Base, last October. Photo by Yonhap News
The Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act requires the U.S. State Department to review the guidelines for exchanges between the United States and Taiwan every five years and to consider easing the restrictions that the United States has imposed on itself.
The United States officially severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979 upon establishing relations with China, but has since maintained substantive exchanges. However, in order to avoid provoking China-which considers Taiwan part of its own territory under the "One China" principle-the United States has operated under various "self-imposed prohibitions," including keeping bilateral contacts confidential, setting these as red lines.
This bill has drawn particular attention as it was introduced amid heightened tensions between China and Japan following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's suggestion of Japanese involvement in a Taiwan contingency. Taiwan's Central News Agency reported that the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act is ultimately focused on breaking through the United States' self-imposed restrictions.
The bill received bipartisan support and passed unanimously in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Representative Ann Wagner, who sponsored the bill, said, "This law sends a message that we stand firm against the Chinese Communist Party's dangerous attempts to dominate this region (Taiwan)."
Some observers have raised the possibility that this measure could expand the front of the "Taiwan conflict" from the existing China-Japan axis to include the United States and China.
Following the bill's passage, China immediately protested. Zhang Han, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, stated, "This bill by the United States constitutes a blatant interference in China's internal affairs," adding, "It seriously violates the spirit enshrined in the 'One China' principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques (establishing diplomatic relations)."
In contrast, Taiwan welcomed the move. Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Jialong said, "We are grateful for the bipartisan support from the U.S. administration and Congress," adding, "This law is a significant step forward for the development of U.S.-Taiwan relations."
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