April 10, 2024
No. 129
Today marks the 45th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). Since being signed into law in 1979, the TRA has received strong bipartisan support in the US Congress and continues to serve as a crucial cornerstone for Taiwan-US relations. Alongside the Six Assurances, the TRA provides clear guidance on the formulation and development of Taiwan-related policies in the United States and remains of paramount importance to the security, peace, stability, and prosperity of Taiwan and the region. Demonstrating the bipartisan, principled, and rock-solid US commitment to Taiwan, the TRA has also facilitated Taiwan-US exchanges in business, culture, and other areas and continues to support Taiwan in its role as a beacon of democracy, a prosperous and dynamic economy, and a technological powerhouse.
Building upon this strong foundation, Taiwan-US relations continue to grow. Taiwan and the United States have become key security and economic partners, collaborating with other like-minded democracies to jointly contribute to global freedom, democracy, and prosperity.
On the eve of the 45th anniversary of the TRA, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell publicly reiterated the importance of the TRA and the Taiwan-US partnership. He also underscored the critical role of the United States as a key guarantor in the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) sincerely welcomes this statement and thanks the US administration and Congress for continuing to take concrete action to fulfill its commitments to Taiwan as outlined in the TRA, including through staunch bipartisan support to assist Taiwan in strengthening its self-defense capabilities and by backing Taiwan’s international participation. Since taking office, the Biden administration has announced 13 arms sales to Taiwan. At the same time, high-level US officials have continued to take concrete action to convey the importance they attach to the peaceful and stable status quo across the Taiwan Strait, such as releasing joint statements with allies and dispatching naval vessels to conduct joint transits of the Taiwan Strait.
In recent years, the United States has also supported Taiwan’s security through several unprecedented and innovative measures. For example, for the first time in a State of the Union address, President Biden emphasized that the United States was standing up for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The US administration also included assistance to Taiwan as a dedicated item in its government budget for first time and has used such channels as presidential drawdown authority and foreign military financing to accelerate the process of delivering assistance to Taiwan.
Trade and economic cooperation between Taiwan and the United States has also progressed through the negotiation of the Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, the largest-scale and most comprehensive trade agreement between Taiwan and the United States since 1979. To date, the initiative’s first agreement is the only trade agreement to have been signed by the Biden administration. In addition, following Taiwan’s 2024 elections, high-level US officials immediately extended their congratulations and a senior bipartisan delegation visited Taiwan, demonstrating support for Taiwan’s democracy and its current and incoming administrations.
The 118th US Congress has continued to express strong backing for Taiwan. Members of Congress from both parties have taken concrete action to support Taiwan, including through legislation, public statements, and joint letters. Furthermore, the number of bills proposed that include Taiwan-friendly provisions has been unprecedented for any single session of Congress. Leaders of key committees in both the House of Representatives and the Senate—including those of the foreign relations, armed services, and appropriations committees, as well as the cochairs of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus and the chair of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party—have also led significant delegations to Taiwan. Indeed, the number of visiting congressional delegations during this session has also reached a new high, demonstrating staunch bipartisan support for Taiwan in the US Congress.
As Taiwan-US relations reach a new milestone today, MOFA will continue to uphold the principles of mutual trust, reciprocity, and mutual benefit so as to deepen Taiwan’s rock-solid, comprehensive, and close partnership with the United States and strengthen close bilateral cooperation in various domains across the world. Working with like-minded countries, Taiwan and the United States will jointly safeguard the rules-based international order and actively maintain peace, stability, and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and throughout the region. (E)