US To Strengthen Ties With Taiwan As Country Faces Increased Pressure From China

The United States has announced the launch of a new economic dialogue with Taipei as it seeks to strengthen its ties with Taiwan. On Monday, Washington said the initiative would restore the balance between the two nations as Taiwan faces increased pressure from China.

David Stilwell, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said the U.S. would make updates on its engagement with Taiwan amid the continued deterioration of U.S.-China relations and the increased pressure from China on Taiwan, which it considers part of its territory.

“In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party has targeted Taiwan with diplomatic isolation, bellicose military threats and actions, cyber hacks, economic pressure,” said Stilwell.

Stilwell said the U.S. acknowledges how Beijing has “unilaterally altered” the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and has stepped up military maneuvers across the country. “We must act to restore the balance,” he said. “Other peace-loving countries should do the same,” he added, saying that the U.S.’ intensified support to the island should be a sign of the “deepening ties of friendship, trade, and productivity” between the two nations.

Stilwell also revealed that the planned bilateral economic dialogue with Taiwan would explore the full spectrum of the U.S. and Taiwan’s economic ties, including semiconductors, health care, energy, and technology. It will also involve the declassification of documents detailing the security assurances made to Taipei by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s administration.

The assurances focus on U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. In 2019, the U.S. government also declassified a 1982 presidential memo stating that “the U.S. willingness to reduce its arms sales to Taiwan is conditioned absolutely upon the continued commitment of China to the peaceful solution” of the Taiwan-China differences and that the quality and quantity of the arms be conditioned on China’s threats.

Stilwell explained that the declassification of the six assurances is important because Beijing has a habit of distorting history. “By upholding the Six Assurances, we will continue to help Taipei resist the Chinese Communist Party’s campaign to pressure, intimidate, and marginalize Taiwan,” he said.