EXCLUSIVE: Resolution to Recognize Taiwan Independence Receives 50 Cosponsors

The Flag-Lowering Ceremony takes place at Liberty Square in Taipei, Taiwan, on Aug. 9, 2022. Annabelle Chih/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—A congressional resolution that would formally recognize Taiwan’s independence has earned 50 cosponsors for the first time.

The resolution, introduced by Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) earlier this year, seeks to resume formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan and end the United States’s “One China” policy.

“It is long past time for U.S. policy to reflect the objective reality that Taiwan has never been under the control of the People’s Republic of China or part of its territory for even a single day,” Mr. Tiffany told The Epoch Times in an email.

“This important milestone shows that momentum is growing to turn the page on this failed 1970s-era policy.”

Mr. Tiffany first introduced the resolution during the 116th Congress in 2019, when just one cosponsor signed on.

“This milestone shows the growing support in Congress to recognize Taiwan as a free, democratic, and independent country,” a statement from Mr. Tiffany’s office said.

The Taiwan Question

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) maintains a “One China” principle, which asserts that Taiwan is part of China and must be unified with the mainland by any means necessary.

The Chinese regime has never controlled Taiwan, however, which maintains its own democratic government and a market economy with robust international ties.

Since 1979, the United States has maintained a “One China“ policy that recognizes but does not endorse the CCP’s ”One China” principle. As part of that policy, the United States does not support or encourage formal recognition of Taiwan’s independence.

The United States also adheres to the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which mandates that the nation provide Taiwan with the arms necessary to defend itself.

Mr. Tiffany’s resolution would seek to upend this state of affairs and “resume normal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, negotiate a bilateral free trade agreement with Taiwan, and support Taiwan’s membership in international organizations.”

“The President should abandon the antiquated ‘One China Policy’ in favor of a policy that recognizes the objective reality that Taiwan is an independent country not governed by or included within the territory of the People’s Republic of China,” the resolution says.

For its part, the Biden administration has vowed to uphold the “One China” policy and has said that reaffirming it will be a key component of talks between President Joe Biden and CCP leader Xi Jinping later this month.

“We are not supportive of Taiwan independence. That is our long-standing policy,” a senior administration official told reporters during a Nov. 9 press call.

“Our goal going into the meetings will be to reaffirm, of course, the U.S. ‘One China’ policy, our focus on maintaining the status quo, our focus on ensuring there’s peace and stability.”

Taiwanese Wary of Formal Independence

Though Taiwan’s current administration is pro-independence, most Taiwanese people are hesitant about formally declaring an independent Taiwan that is separate from China.

The Election Study Center at the National Chengchi University in Taipei has conducted polls to gauge Taiwanese sentiment on the subject since 1994.

Its most recent poll, from June of this year, found that about 7 percent of Taiwanese people desire unification with the mainland, and about 26 percent desire the type of formal independence that would be proffered by Mr. Tiffany’s resolution.

The vast majority of Taiwanese, more than 60 percent, favor maintaining the status quo. Of that number, however, there is disagreement as to whether the status quo should be maintained indefinitely or until a new arrangement can be reached with the mainland.

In any situation, the futures of both China and the United States are fundamentally intertwined with that of Taiwan.

Many experts believe that the CCP must think, even falsely, that unification with Taiwan is possible in order to deter a war.

Bonnie Glaser, a managing director for the German Marshall Fund think tank, said that Mr. Xi would be willing to go to war to secure Taiwan if he felt that peaceful unification at a future date was impossible.

“[I believe] that, if Xi Jinping believes there is a real possibility of permanent loss of Taiwan, that he would go to war whether he perceives that the [military] is ready or not,” Ms. Glaser said during an October talk at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

“It is unwise for both Taiwan and the United States to be pursuing policy and actions that would lead Xi Jinping to conclude that it is impossible to achieve some mutually acceptable outcome.”