Eight Pro-Taiwan And Anti-Communist China Bills Approved By U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee In One Day

According to media reports, on February 28, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee introduced eight pro-Taiwan and anti-Communist China bills, including the “Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act” which would require the State Department to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan to ensure that any changes in U.S. policy toward Taiwan would be beneficial to deepening bilateral relations. All bills that pass will be sent to the House for consideration, passed by the House and Senate, and then sent to President Biden for signature before taking effect.

In the anti-Communist China section, the committee passed the bills: the “PRC is Not A Developing Country Act,” the “Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act,” and the “Undersea Cable Control Act.” etc. Three other bills were introduced to sanction those responsible for the Chinese Communist Party(CCP)’s spy balloon program, ban the sharing app TikTok, and authorize funding for a “Countering the People’s Republic of China Malign Influence Fund.”

However, there was disagreement among the legislators, and several amendments were proposed and left for a vote the following morning. Regarding support for Taiwan, the passage of the “Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act,” further solidifies U.S. support for Taiwan by requiring periodic reviews and updates of reports related to the State Department’s Taiwan guidelines and removing outdated and unnecessary restrictions on U.S.-Taiwan engagement.

For decades, most senior U.S. executive branch officials, including senior military officers, have been barred from visiting Taiwan. Likewise, Taiwan’s top leaders have been unable to travel to the United States. In addition, there are various complex and brutal rules governing the procedures for mutual visits between the United States and Taiwan.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared all of these guidelines null and void in January 2021, which Taiwan welcomed as an end to “decades of discrimination. The passage of this bill is believed to pave the way for high-level visits between the U.S. and Taiwan.