2019 marked a new height of U.S.-Taiwan relations. Here's a review of what has been accomplished this year between the two countries.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/11/22
By: Sumit Kumar

Photo Credit: Shutterstoc

With the aim of enhancing ties with Taiwan to another height, the U.S. Senate has unanimously passed the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative Act in October 2019. This bill will enable the U.S. State Department to consider “reducing its economic, security, and diplomatic engagements with nations that take serious or significant actions to undermine Taiwan.”

Shortly after the bill's passage, the United States and Taiwan held the first-ever joint exercise to boost Taipei’s capabilities to effectively foil cyberattacks from China.

These two developments are transformative: first, unlike in the past, there is an increasing realization in the U.S. administration of the need to extend full support to Taiwan in resolving conflicts with China; second, other countries have also begun to support Taiwan’s independent existence.

But these are not insolated developments toward building a strong relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan. In the last 40 years, successive American administrations have taken liberated efforts in this regard. However, the recent bilateral engagement highlighted the priority that the Trump administration has attached to the relationship with Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]