On May 13 the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives reiterated its support for Taiwan and rejected the idea that the U.S. government’s “One-China Principle” is equivalent to the “One-China Principle” advocated by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

United States House of Representatives (speaker.gov via Wikimedia Commons)

In a series of tweets the Committee rebutted an article published by China‘s state-owned news website Global Times. The piece condemned the passage of the Taiwan Assurance Act by the U.S. House of Representatives on May 7, as well as the adoption of a resolution reaffirming the U.S.’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA).

Congress has been consistent for 4 decades: #Taiwan and its 23 million inhabitants are our democratic partners to which we have a solemn commitment. It is #Beijing’s increasing pressure on #Taiwan and attempts to undermine #Taiwan’s #democracy that alters the status quo. — House Foreign Affairs Committee (@HouseForeign) May 13, 2019

The Taiwan Assurance Act was introduced by Republican Representative Michael McCaul and passed the House on a bipartisan basis.

Chinese MOFA says Chairman @RepEliotEngel & Ranking Member @RepMcCaul’s #Taiwan bills violate the One-China Principle.



Let’s be clear: U.S. One-China policy ≠ PRC One-China principle.https://t.co/I3f3EiucDl — House Foreign Affairs Committee (@HouseForeign) May 13, 2019

The PRC claims that Taiwan is part of its territory and has not renounced the use of force to annex it. De facto, Taiwan, whose official name is Republic of China (ROC), is an independent state.

On January 1, 1979, the U.S. and the PRC signed a joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations. The communique states: “The Government of the United States of America acknowledges the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China.”

In 1979 the U.S. adopted the Taiwan Relations Act. The Act stated 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 and that any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means…” According to the Act, the U.S. shall make available to Taiwan defense articles and services it may require.

In 1982, the U.S. and Taiwan agreed on the Six Assurances. The U.S. pledged to “not formally recognize Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan.”

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