United States senators initiate a pro-Taiwan legislative action aimed at countering China's political undermining in Latin America.
The United States Senate has introduced a new bill, the United States-Taiwan Partnership in the Americas Act, with the aim of fortifying Taiwan’s diplomatic alliances in the Western Hemisphere and challenging China's efforts to isolate Taiwan.
This bipartisan legislation seeks to strengthen the partnership between the U.S. and Taiwan by providing support and cooperation to Taiwan's diplomatic partners in Latin America and the Caribbean. The bill encourages joint development programs, public diplomacy, and strategic engagement with allies across the region.
The Act focuses on supporting Taiwan's diplomatic allies in Latin America and the Caribbean to maintain and deepen their relationships with Taiwan. It also aims to counter China's aggressive diplomatic actions aimed at isolating Taiwan by encouraging and facilitating stronger economic, diplomatic, and cultural ties between the U.S., Taiwan, and these regional countries.
The loss of diplomatic allies has been a concern for Taiwan, with the country losing 10 allies since 2016, five of which were in Latin America: Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras. As a result, Taiwan is now left with only 12 formal allies worldwide.
The bill was introduced by Senators Jeff Merkley, Tim Kaine, John Curtis, and Pete Ricketts. Senator Merkley stated that China's campaign to bully countries into abandoning Taiwan is part of its broader effort to reshape the global order through coercion and backroom deals. Senator Curtis emphasized the importance of transparency and US leadership, stating that the bill ensures the United States is not only monitoring China's coercive tactics, but actively responding, and sends a clear message: we stand with our allies.
The bill would create a mechanism to monitor and respond to China-backed infrastructure and development projects in Taiwan's diplomatic partners. It would also require regular updates to Congress on Beijing's pressure tactics and US efforts to push back.
This initiative complements other U.S. legislative efforts aimed at deepening U.S.-Taiwan ties, such as the United States-Taiwan Defense Innovation Partnership Act, which focuses on strengthening defense technology collaboration between the U.S. and Taiwan to deter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.
The proposed legislation needs approval from both the Senate and House before it can be signed into law by the president or vetoed. The bill also promotes greater coordination between US embassies and Taiwan's representative offices. The report on this matter was published by Focus Taiwan.
The bipartisan United States-Taiwan Partnership in the Americas Act, introduced by Senators Jeff Merkley, Tim Kaine, John Curtis, and Pete Ricketts, aims to counter China's efforts to isolate Taiwan by providing support to Taiwan's diplomatic allies in Latin America and the Caribbean, as part of a general news story about policy-and-legislation. Furthermore, the bill encourages news and opinion on the importance of transparency, US leadership, and strategic engagement with allies across the region, as a response to China's aggressive diplomatic actions.
