WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ahead of President Donald Trump’s summit with China’s President Xi Jinping in Beijing, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), John Curtis (R-UT) and nine of their Senate colleagues in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirming congressional support for the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and underscoring their belief that there should be no unilateral changes to this policy, nor any new U.S. declaratory policy on Taiwan.
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“For nearly five decades, the TRA has been the cornerstone of U.S.-Taiwan ties, enabling a strong and mutually beneficial relationship. This bipartisan law requires the United States to provide Taiwan—a critical economic and technological partner, and a thriving democracy – defense articles and services necessary to maintain the island’s self-defense capability. The TRA further states that the United States would consider any attempt to determine Taiwan’s future by non-peaceful means to be ‘a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific,’ and of ‘grave concern,’” wrote the Senators.
“Our commitment to this legislation has long helped ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait—which is essential to U.S. interests there and across the Indo-Pacific. Maintaining this commitment is necessary to ensure the credibility of U.S. security commitments to allies and partners in the region and beyond,” continued the Senators.
“In the spirit of longstanding bipartisan support for the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, we stand ready to work with your administration to further strengthen this partnership,” concluded the Senators.
In addition to Duckworth, Bennet and Curtis, the letter was co-signed by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
The full text of the Senators’ letter is available on the Senator Duckworth's website.
Dear Secretary Rubio,
We write to reaffirm congressional support for the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and ourfirm belief that there should be no unilateral changes to this policy nor any new declaratorypolicy on Taiwan, consistent with longstanding U.S. commitments including the Six AssurancesPresident Reagan articulated.
For nearly five decades, the TRA has been the cornerstone of U.S.-Taiwan ties, enabling a strongand mutually beneficial relationship. This bipartisan law requires the United States to provideTaiwan – a critical economic and technological partner, and a thriving democracy –defensearticles and services necessary to maintain the island’s self-defense capability. The TRA further states that the United States would consider any attempt to determine Taiwan’s future by non-peaceful means to be “a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific,” and of “graveConcern.”
Our commitment to this legislation has long helped ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait – which is essential to U.S. interests there and across the Indo-Pacific. Maintaining this commitment is necessary to ensure the credibility of U.S. security commitments to allies and partners in the region and beyond.
During your tenure in the U.S. Senate, you consistently demonstrated strong support for U.S.-Taiwan relations and for the TRA. In 2017, you joined a bipartisan letter to President Trumpstating that the “One China policy, based on the [Taiwan Relations] Act, the Three JointCommuniques and the Six Assurances [...] provides the basis for our enduring relationship withTaiwan.” You further emphasized the “bipartisan commitment that we must not waver inproviding necessary support for Taiwan to defend itself in the face of China’s ongoing militaryaggression and the cross-Strait military imbalance.”
These principles remain true and necessary today. In the spirit of longstanding bipartisan support for the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, we stand ready to work with your administration to further strengthen this partnership.
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