A bipartisan group of senators has introduced a bill to rename Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Washington, noting that its current name was chosen to avoid offending the Chinese communist regime.
“The United States shouldn’t tolerate pressure from China to undermine the Taiwanese people. Instead, it should stand by its democratic allies and friends around the world facing pressure and coercion from authoritarian regimes,” Curtis said in a statement.
“By renaming TECRO as the Taiwan Representative Office, our bill acknowledges the reality that this office represents the people of Taiwan, not just the economic interests of the city of Taipei.”
Taiwan and the United States are currently not diplomatic allies after Washington severed diplomatic ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing in 1979. That year, Congress enacted the Taiwan Relations Act, which led to the establishment of TECRO.
“The choice to use ‘Taipei’ instead of ‘Taiwan’ in TECRO’s naming convention was to avoid offending China,” Curtis’s office explained in the statement.
The legislation would direct the secretary of state to negotiate the name change with Taiwan’s representative officials in the United States.
Should the Taiwanese office be renamed, all U.S. government documents, laws, maps, regulations, and records referring to TECRO would be updated to TRO, according to the Act.
The legislation states that such a name change does not alter the “position of the United States with respect to the international status of Taiwan” nor should it be interpreted as the “restoration of diplomatic relations” with Taiwan.
Curtis’s office said that passing the legislation would elevate the relationship between the United States and Taiwan, but it would not change Washington’s “One China” policy.
The United States has long held a “One China” policy, which asserts that there is only one sovereign state with the name “China,” but it is different from the “One China principle” under which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) asserts sovereignty over Taiwan.
The CCP views Taiwan as a part of its territory, even though it has never ruled the island. Taiwan, a de facto independent nation, has its own constitution, military, and democratically elected government.
“Taiwan’s democracy is vital to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, and the United States must continue pursuing opportunities that strengthen our partnership with Taiwan,” Merkley said in a statement.
“This bipartisan bill demonstrates the United States’ longstanding commitment to supporting Taiwan by properly recognizing Taiwan’s status,” he continued. “We must continue to send a strong message that the United States will use all resources at our disposal to foster healthy, robust relationships with our democratic partners, including Taiwan.”
The legislation was introduced in the previous Congress, but neither the House bill nor its Senate companion made it to the final passage. Curtis, then a House lawmaker, introduced the legislation in the House, while then-Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced it in the Senate.
FAPA explained on its website that TECRO “does not reflect the national identity and dignity of Taiwan.”
“If a ‘Taiwan Representative Office’ could sit in Washington D.C., it would be a powerful support to our longtime friend and democratic ally, Taiwan, to counter China’s increasing aggression. It could also encourage our other allies to join the U.S.-led effort and make ‘Taiwan’ representative offices ‘a new normal’ across the world,” the association said.
