US congressmen call to end “One China” policy and resume ties with Taiwan

02 March, 2021

Shirley Lin

RTI.org

 

Two US congressmen on Monday introduced a bill calling on the US to put an end to the “One China” policy, to resume formal ties with Taiwan and begin talks on a free trade agreement between Taiwan and the US.

 

US Congressmen Tom Tiffany (R-WI) and Scott Perry (R-PA) proposed the bill. Tiffany said, “For more than 40 years, American presidents of both political parties have repeated Beijing’s bogus lie that Taiwan is part of Communist China – despite the objective reality that it is not. It is time to do away with this outdated policy.”

 

Perry said, “As an independent Nation that proudly collaborates with Taiwan across a wide spectrum of issues, it’s long past time The United States exercised our sovereign right to state what the world knows to be true: Taiwan is an independent country, and has been for over 70 years.”

 

The resolution states that Taiwan and its offshore islands are not under Bejing’s governance and Beijing continues to illegally assert its sovereignty over Taiwan. It cites that Beijing has weaponized the “One China” policy and prevented Taiwan from participating in the UN, WHO and the Olympics.

 

It also says that the outdated “One China” policy does not benefit both the Taiwanese and the American people. It also does not reflect the fact that Taiwan has been a sovereign independent country for more than 70 years.

 

The resolution calls on US presidents to recognize the legitimacy of Taiwan’s democratically elected government and allow the exchange of ambassadors between the two countries. It also says the US president should also repeal the guidelines that restrict communication between Taiwan and US officials.

 

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s foreign ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou on Tuesday expressed thanks to the US congressmen for the resolution.