April 10, 2021 – A spokesman for the presidential administration said the loosening of U.S.-Taiwan relations guidelines has been unanimously supported by the U.S. government.
The State Department on Friday (9) updated its guidelines for U.S.-Taiwan relations, allowing U.S. officials to receive Taiwanese officials at federal agencies and Washington officials to meet with Taiwan at its representative office in the United States. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ou Jiang’an believes that the State Department is taking practical action to demonstrate its “rock-solid” commitment to Taiwan. In response, a spokesman for the Taiwan Presidential Office said he welcomed the closer exchanges between Taiwan and the United States. (Zhong Guangzheng reports from Taipei)
In Taipei, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ou Jiang’an said that the U.S. State Department recently completed an internal revision to reflect the current situation of close relations between Taiwan and the U.S. in recent years, loosening “outdated restrictions on contacts. The Washington Department of State officially announced its newest guidelines for relations with Taiwan on Friday (9) EST.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ou Jiang’an on April 10, 2021: The U.S. State Department demonstrated its “rock-solid” commitment to Taiwan with practical actions. (Photo by Chung Guangzheng)
Ou Jiang’an said: The U.S. side has explained the relevant contents to Taiwan before the official announcement. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the State Department’s practical action to demonstrate its “rock-solid” commitment to Taiwan.
The U.S. government not only considers Taiwan to be a model of democracy, but also one of the United States’ closest security and economic partners, and a force for good around the world, O’Brien said. Therefore, the U.S. Department of State strongly encourages all relevant government departments to interact with Taiwan to further expand and deepen Taiwan-U.S. relations.
The State Department’s revised guidelines for engagement significantly enhance the relationship and interaction with Taiwan and open a new page in Taiwan-U.S. relations on the 42nd anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act,” O’Brien said.
Mr. Ou said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to be pragmatic and uphold the principles of mutual trust, reciprocity, and mutual benefit to further enhance the Taiwan-U.S. partnership based on the deep foundation established by Taiwan and the United States.
Presidential Office spokesman Zhang Dunhan said he welcomed the efforts to encourage closer exchanges between Taiwan and the U.S. and looked forward to promoting more interaction between the two sides in the future.
The U.S. executive and congressional branches also continue to work to promote Taiwan-U.S. exchanges and cooperation.
It is expected that on the basis of the solid foundation, Taiwan and the U.S. can continue to deepen their partnership and contribute positively and benevolently to regional peace and stability and prosperous development.
Huang Jiezheng, associate professor of the Institute of Strategic Studies at Tamkang University, said that the lifting of restrictions on U.S.-Taiwan relations before former U.S. President Donald Trump left office could lead to a conflict between the United States and China due to too much openness. The Biden administration has reformulated a set of guidelines for engagement, which are risk management, but the new guidelines are still quite restrictive.
DPP legislator Luo Zhi-cheng believes that although the U.S. has eased restrictions on interactions with Taiwan, the two sides will still interact under the “one-China framework” and the restrictions on interactions still exist, so Taiwan should not be satisfied with this, but should work harder to break other restrictions on interactions that should not exist or are unnecessary.
According to Luo, the State Department’s announcement of the guidelines for interactions with Taiwan, in addition to the White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s original intention to strengthen relations with Taiwan, also highlights the need for Taiwan to play a role in the political, military, and even economic aspects of U.S. policy toward China and the Asia-Pacific region, and Taiwan’s growing importance to the United States. Taiwan is becoming increasingly important to the United States.
Yan Chen-sheng, a part-time researcher at the Center for International Relations at National Chengchi University, said that in the past, the U.S. and Taiwan met at high levels mostly on informal occasions, but now, under the new guidelines, officials from both sides will be able to visit each other’s official offices and discuss official business. The U.S. has not changed its usual “one-China policy.
The relaxation of restrictions on U.S.-Taiwanese interactions will give the Biden administration more leverage in its interactions with Beijing, and the future level of mutual visits between Taiwan and U.S. officials, as well as whether Washington officials will attend the activities of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S., or the “Twin Oaks”, are all indicators of the future implementation of the latest U.S. guidelines for interaction with Taiwan. “The State Department announced in a press release the new guidelines.
The U.S. Department of State announced the new version of the guidelines for engagement with Taiwan in a press release, which mentions that U.S. officials will be allowed to receive Taiwanese officials at federal agencies on a regular basis and to meet with Taiwanese officials at representative offices in the United States. In addition, U.S. officials will also be able to attend events held at Twin Oaks, but will not be allowed to participate in important events in Taiwan such as the “Double Ten Festival.
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