Taiwan Peace and Stability Act
A BILL
To support the diplomatic, economic, and physical space of Taiwan, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Findings and statement of policy
Congress makes the following findings:
The United States has consistently sought to advance peace and stability in East Asia as a central element of U.S. foreign policy toward the region.
Peace and stability in East Asia has provided the necessary environment for the tremendous economic growth experienced by the region and remains critical to the continued development and prosperity of all people in the Indo-Pacific.
The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 (Public Law 96–8; 22 U.S.C. 3301 et seq.) and the “Six Assurances”, provided by the United States to Taiwan in July 1982, are the cornerstones of U.S.-Taiwan relations and continue to guide U.S. policy toward Taiwan.
The Taiwan Relations Act states that it is the policy of the United States to—
“(A) preserve and promote extensive, close, and friendly commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people of the United States and the people on Taiwan, as well as the people on the China mainland and all other peoples of the Western Pacific area;
“(B) declare that peace and stability in the area are in the political, security, and economic interests of the United States, and are matters of international concern;
“(C) make clear that the United States decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China rests upon the expectation that the future of Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means;
“(D) consider any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means, including by boycotts or embargoes, a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to the United States;
“(E) provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character; and
“(F) maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan.”
The Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), especially since the election of Tsai Ing-Wen in 2016, has conducted a coordinated campaign to weaken Taiwan diplomatically, economically, and militarily in a manner that threatens to erode U.S. policy and create a fait accompli on questions surrounding Taiwan’s future.
In order to ensure the longevity of U.S. policy and preserve the ability of the people of Taiwan to determine their future independently, it is necessary to reinforce Taiwan’s diplomatic, economic, and physical space.
It is the policy of the United States to—
maintain the position that peace and stability in the Western Pacific are in the political, security, and economic interests of the United States, and are matters of international concern; and
work with allies and partners to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and deter military acts or other forms of coercive behavior that would undermine regional stability.