The State Department on Friday (April 9) issued new guidelines for U.S. government interactions with Taiwan counterparts to reflect Washington’s “deepening unofficial relationship” with the Taipei House. The State Department’s decision comes amid growing tensions between the U.S. and China over Taiwan, as well as Beijing’s aggressive military intrusion into Taiwan in recent months.
In a statement, the State Department said the new guidelines were issued to “encourage the U.S. government’s engagement with Taiwan and reflect our deepening unofficial relationship.”
“The guidelines emphasize that Taiwan is a vibrant democracy and an important security and economic partner, as well as a force for good in the international community,” the statement said. “These new guidelines relax guidance for engagement with Taiwan, align with our unofficial relations, and provide clarity throughout the executive branch for the effective implementation of our ‘One China’ guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiqués and the ‘Six Assurances ‘ policy to provide clarity.”
The State Department’s statement mentioned that the new guidelines were issued after an evaluation of the provisions of the Taiwan Reassurance Act. The Taipei Reassurance Act was passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law by then-President Trump in late 2020. Congressional advice is that the State Department’s guidelines for relations with Taiwan should be intended to deepen the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, take full account of the fact that Taiwan is a democracy, and should ensure that the relationship is implemented in a way that reflects the full range of the long-term values-based U.S.-Taiwan relationship.
Washington and Beijing established diplomatic relations in 1979, and Washington has maintained unofficial relations with Taipei since then. In recent years, however, U.S.-Taiwan interaction has deepened. In January, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on the eve of his departure that he was lifting self-imposed restrictions on official U.S.-Taiwan contacts, but exactly how this would work and whether the new administration would implement it were both elective and unanswered questions at the time.
The State Department statement did not specify the specifics of the newly released guidelines for U.S.-Taiwan interactions.
Under the new guidelines, U.S. officials will be able to regularly host Taiwanese officials at federal government buildings, according to the Financial Times disclosure. They will also be allowed to meet with their Taiwanese counterparts at Taiwan’s economic and cultural offices. U.S. officials will also be able to attend events held at Twin Oaks. Twin Oaks in Washington was once the official residence of the ambassador of the Republic of China to the United States, but after the break in diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Taiwan in 1979, it could only be used as a venue for social events.
Nevertheless, the Financial Times quoted an unnamed U.S. official as saying that the new guidelines will still have some “guardrails,” such as not allowing U.S. officials to attend events at Twin Oaks during major Taiwan festivals, because it could complicate the “One China One China” policy.
The official told the Financial Times, “We have reinstated the guardrails, but the distance between the bars is much greater, so both sides (Beijing and Taipei) should be happy.”
Taiwan welcomes updated guidelines for engagement
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States issued a statement on the same day on the updated U.S. guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, “welcoming the statement’s emphasis on encouraging closer engagement between Taiwan and the United States.”
The statement said, “Taiwan and the United States have a deep and abiding partnership under shared values and common interests, especially in the areas of global health, economics, regional security, international space, and democracy promotion. Just last month, Taiwan and the United States also signed a new memorandum of understanding on maritime patrol cooperation.”
It also said, “Over the years, loosening past guidelines for U.S.-Taiwan engagement has been supported by both the U.S. government and the public, with the aim of promoting more interaction between the two sides. This includes the Taiwan Reassurance Act, passed in 2020 with cross-party support in the House and Senate, and other efforts to promote easing of interaction.”
Taiwan’s representative office in the United States said, “We look forward to continuing to work with the U.S. side to advance a long-lasting partnership with each other.”
There has been no reaction from the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. or the Chinese Foreign Ministry at this time.
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