The Legislature has passed a resolution to resume formal diplomatic ties between Taiwan and the United States.
The resolution was proposed by the opposition KMT and adopted on Tuesday. The KMT said given that relations between Taipei and Washington have seen tremendous progress following the recent visits by high-ranking US officials, the DPP government should seek to resume ties with the United States.
The two sides severed formal diplomatic relations in 1979 after Washington switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
However, in an interview with the US’s public radio network NPR last month, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said that Taiwan is not seeking to set up formal diplomatic ties with Washington at this time.
On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Joanne Ou said the government will continue to strengthen economic, trade, political, and security ties with the US to meet the expectations of the Legislature.
Another resolution sought the US’s assistance to help defend Taiwan. That resolution was proposed by the KMT and adopted by the Legislature on the same day.
The KMT said the government should persuade the Trump administration to help Taiwan resist actions by China that “clearly endanger the safety of the Taiwanese people and Taiwan’s socioeconomic system.”