'America doesn’t need a permission slip from the Chinese Communist Party' to talk to Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/09/18
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Congressman Tom Tiffany on Wednesday (Sept. 16) introduced a bill calling on the U.S. to put an end to the "one China" policy, resume formal relations with Taiwan, and begin negotiations on a U.S.-Taiwan Free Trade Agreement.

In a press release posted on Thursday, Tiffany pointed out that before 1979, the U.S. and Taiwan maintained normal and friendly diplomatic relations. However, then U.S. President Jimmy Carter suddenly broke off diplomatic relations with Taiwan "without legislative approval" and instead opted to recognize the communist regime in Beijing.

Tiffany stated that Congress later passed the "Taiwan Relations Act" (TRA) as the cornerstone of U.S.-Taiwan economic and cultural relations, while also authorizing the U.S. to sell arms to Taiwan. However, former President Ronald Reagan then "upgraded the relationship" by issuing the "Six Assurances."

Despite these measures, the U.S. still does not formally recognize Taiwan. The congressman lamented that his country is "inexplicably treating" Taiwan’s democratically elected government in the same way it treats the "brutal regimes" in North Korea and Iran.    [FULL  STORY]