Two members of the US Congress have introduced a bipartisan act called The Taiwan Diplomatic Review Act. The act would rename Taiwan’s representative office in the United States and give diplomatic visas to Taiwanese diplomats. It would elevate the rank and status of the AIT director to Ambassador at Large.
Right now, Taiwan’s representative office in the United States uses the name “Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO)”, and it is not an official embassy. The two countries do not have official diplomatic ties, due to pressure from China, which sees Taiwan as part of its territory.
The act also includes the Taipei Envoy Act. That would require Senate confirmation of the United States’ representative to Taiwan, the Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). It would also elevate the rank and status of the AIT director to Ambassador at Large.
The two members of congress who proposed the act are Representatives Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Steve Chabot (R-OH). In a statement on Friday, they said it has been US policy to refer to Taiwan as "Taiwan", not "Taipei" or "Chinese Taipei". That’s why the Coordination Council for North American Affairs (CCNAA) was renamed "Taiwan Council for US Affairs" (TCUSA) in 2019. The TCUSA is a counterpart to the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de facto US embassy in Taiwan.
The proposed act calls on the US Secretary of State to negotiate with the Taiwan Council for U.S. Affairs to rename the Council's office in Washington, the Taiwan Representative Office in the United States.
"Taiwan is an important democratic ally of the United States. Yet, it would be surprising for most Americans to know that Taiwan's office in Washington still includes 'Taipei' in its name", Sherman said.
“This bill simply says that it is time for the State Department, and Congress, to take action to elevate our relationship with Taiwan,” he said. “We should also be taking action to encourage more robust engagement between US and Taiwanese officials."
Sherman described these acts as strengthening the US-Taiwan relationship: "By changing TECRO's name to the Taiwan Representative Office and making the Director of the AIT Senate confirmable, we will reaffirm the US commitment to robust relations with Taiwan".
Sherman and Chabot also say that Taiwanese officials and diplomats currently do not receive diplomatic visas from the US, but are given investor visas instead. They say the practice does not represent their purpose as official representatives of Taiwan to the US.
The two congressmen say the act will create a new visa category which applies to Taiwanese officials only, paving the way for closer ties.
Chabot, the founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, said he believed the Taiwan Diplomatic Review Act will "ensure that Taiwan's representatives here are accorded the dignity they deserve and to strengthen congressional oversight over Taiwan policy."
The Taiwan Diplomatic Review Act is one of several recent acts introduced in the US Congress to strengthen US-Taiwan relations. On April 20, US lawmakers also introduced the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which supports Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.
On March 26, US senators reintroduced the Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act which aims to update US policy on Taiwan. It would elevate the AIT director to “representative” and strengthen US-Taiwan ties, particularly in cultural and education exchanges.