White House resists Congress’ bipartisan bid to overhaul U.S.-Taiwan relations
Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taipei isn't the only moment of congressional hawkishness the Biden administration would prefer to cage as it seeks to avoid provocation of China.
Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is over, but the Biden administration still has congressional temperatures to cool when it comes to U.S. policy toward the self-governing island.
After warning Pelosi that her travel plans could provoke China — only to see the speaker make the trip anyway and lawmakers in both parties cheer her on — the Biden administration is now trying to make changes to a bipartisan bill that would overhaul longstanding U.S.-Taiwan policy in favor of a more aggressive posture.
The legislation, dubbed the Taiwan Policy Act, is aimed at bolstering Taiwan’s defensive capabilities and deepening U.S. ties to the island. It reflects a bipartisan push for a different approach when it comes to China’s increasingly belligerent behavior, highlighted by the similarly cross-aisle praise for Pelosi’s historic visit to Taiwan last week.
But the Biden administration is once again deciding to try to cage congressional hawkishness when it comes to China and Taiwan — this time by pushing back on a popular bipartisan bill that the White House fears could upend its assurances to Beijing about maintaining America’s “One China” policy, a diplomatic acknowledgment of Beijing’s position that there is only one Chinese government.
After saying last week that the legislation would “contravene” President Joe Biden’s authorities and efforts at diplomacy, White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson told POLITICO that “we look forward to working with Congress” on the bill.
Lawmakers said the administration’s reactions to both Pelosi’s trip and the new legislative push show that it’s being too cautious.
“They’re trying to stymie it and water it down, because they seem to approach every conflict that way,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who co-sponsored the bill. “We’re full steam ahead. We’re open-minded to constructive changes, but the goal is to be more supportive of Taiwan, not less.”
The legislation, initially introduced by the Democratic chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, represents the most dramatic shakeup of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship since the Taiwan Relations Act, which has guided U.S. policy on the subject since 1979. It authorizes $4.5 billion in security assistance for Taiwan and gives the island the distinction of being a “major non-NATO ally” of the U.S., among other provisions.
