The United States said Monday it will host a new high-level bilateral economic dialogue with Taiwan, led by a deputy secretary of state, to strengthen ties with the island and support it in the face of growing pressure from Beijing.
Washington has also declassified the Reagan-era “six guarantees” for Taiwan.
David Stilwell, assistant secretary of State for East Asian affairs, said in a video conference sponsored by the Heritage Foundation that the latest U.S. move is not a policy shift but part of a series of “significant adjustments” within Washington to the longstanding one China policy.
The chief U.S. diplomat for East Asia said Washington felt compelled to make these adjustments given “Beijing’s growing threat to peace and stability” in the crucial Asia-Pacific region and its combination of military threats and diplomatic isolation against Taiwan.
“We will continue to help Taipei resist the Chinese Communist Party’s campaign of pressure, intimidation and marginalization on Taiwan,” He said.
The “Six Guarantees” began under President Reagan. In 1982, Washington made a six-point pledge to Taipei during consultations with Beijing on the third US-China joint communique, the August 17 communique.
In 2016, the House of Representatives passed a resolution in support of Taiwan that put the “six guarantees” into formal language for the first time.
The U.S. has not agreed to set a date for ending arms sales to the REPUBLIC of China. 2) did not agree to consult the People’s Republic of China prior to arms sales to the REPUBLIC of China; 3) Will not play a mediating role between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China; 4) The Taiwan Relations Act will not be amended; 5) It will not change its position on Taiwan’s sovereignty; 6) Will not force the ROC to negotiate with the PRC.
A pro-Taiwan resolution passed by the Senate that year also referred to the “six guarantees”. The foreign policy platform unveiled at the Republican National Convention last week also included the “six pledges.”
Those guarantees “endure to this day,” Mr. Stawaway said.
The economic dialogue will “explore the full scope of our economic relationship, including semiconductors, energy, and more, with technology at the core,” Mr. Stavy said.
“Although they are interrelated, our relationship with Taiwan is not an offshoot of our bilateral relationship with the People’s Republic of China,” he said.
In a statement Monday, the American Institute in Taiwan said the two sides reached an agreement on market access for pork and beef. “In this context, U.S.-Taiwan economic relations will take their relationship to a new level. Earlier in the day, Assistant Secretary of State Charles Schwab announced that the United States and Taiwan would host an “economic and Business Dialogue” chaired by Keith Krach, the State Department’s undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment. This new high-level annual economic Dialogue will provide a platform to deepen U.S.-Taiwan economic ties on priority issues, including reconfiguring technology and medical product supply chains, strengthening investment screening and intellectual property protection, and expanding cooperation in the infrastructure and energy sectors. This dialogue will help open up new areas of economic cooperation and strengthen existing cooperation programs, “he said.
“The United States views Taiwan as an important strategic partner, and we look forward to using this new platform to bring real progress to the U.S. and Taiwan economically and internationally,” the statement added.
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