Seventy-eight members of the US Congress have asked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to rename Taiwan’s representative office in the US.
The office’s current official name is the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States. But in a joint letter, the US Congress members said that the office’s name should be changed to “Taiwan Representative Office”, explicitly incorporating the word “Taiwan”.
The letter said that Taiwan-US exchanges extend beyond just Taipei, and include interaction with people and local governments across the whole of Taiwan. The letter also says that the word “Taipei” alone does not reflect the strong ties between Taiwan and the US.
In addition, the letter includes support for a free trade agreement between the US and Taiwan. It says that from January 1, 2021, Taiwan will lift a ban on imports of US pork containing the additive ractopamine as well as a ban on US beef from cattle aged over 30 months. The letter says it is time that the US reciprocates this good gesture, and that the letter’s signers believe that Americans would strongly support a free trade agreement with Taiwan.