The US Senate has unanimously passed the Taipei Act, a bill designed to help Taiwan shore up its ties with other countries, both official and unofficial. The bill also aims to help secure Taiwan’s presence on the international stage.
The bill calls on the US government to consider taking action to help achieve these ends. It calls on the US government to consider reducing economic, security, and diplomatic engagement with countries that take actions to undermine Taiwan. At the same time, it calls on the US government to consider increasing engagement with countries that upgrade their ties with Taiwan.
Both President Tsai Ing-wen and the foreign ministry have issued statements welcoming the bill’s passage.
A separate version of the bill is also expected to pass the US House of Representatives’ foreign affairs committee. From there, it will go before the full House, and then the two chambers of the US Congress will work to create a unified version of the bill.