II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 3068 

To support stability across the Taiwan Strait. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 26, 2021 

Mr. MARKEY (for himself and Mr. SULLIVAN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To support stability across the Taiwan Strait. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLES. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Taiwan Actions Sup5 porting Security by Undertaking Regular Engagements 

6 Act’’ or the ‘‘Taiwan ASSURE Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress makes the following findings: 

9 (1) Consistent with the Asia Reassurance Ini10 tiative Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–409), the 

11 United States has grown its strategic partnership 


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1 with Taiwan’s vibrant democracy of 23,000,000 peo2 ple. 

3 (2) Section 2(b) of the Taiwan Relations Act 

4 (22 U.S.C. 3301(b)) declares that it is the policy of 

5 the United States— 

6 (A) ‘‘to preserve and promote extensive, 

7 close, and friendly commercial, cultural, and 

8 other relations between the people of the United 

9 States and the people on Taiwan, as well as the 

10 people on the China mainland and all other peo11 ples of the Western Pacific area’’; and 

12 (B) ‘‘to declare that peace and stability in 

13 the [Western Pacific] area are in the political, 

14 security, and economic interests of the United 

15 States, and are matters of international con16 cern’’. 

17 (3) In recent years, the Government of the Peo18 ple’s Republic of China (PRC) has intensified its ef19 forts to diplomatically isolate and intimidate Taiwan 

20 through— 

21 (A) punitive economic measures; 

22 (B) increased military provocations; and 

23 (C) exertions of malign influence to under24 mine democracy in Taiwan. 


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1 (4) To ensure the durability of the United 

2 States policy under the Taiwan Relations Act (Pub3 lic Law 115–409), it is necessary— 

4 (A) to reinforce— 

5 (i) Taiwan’s international participa6 tion; 

7 (ii) Taiwan’s global economic integra8 tion; and 

9 (iii) the credibility of Taiwan’s mili10 tary deterrent; and 

11 (B) to simultaneously take measures to re12 duce the risk of miscalculation among the PRC, 

13 the United States, and Taiwan. 

14 (5) Taiwan’s meaningful participation in inter15 national organizations in which statehood is not a 

16 requirement benefits the global community, as evi17 denced by the fact that Taiwan was the first to in18 form the World Health Organization of cases of 

19 atypical pneumonia reported in Wuhan, China, on 

20 December 31, 2019. 

21 (6) Despite the COVID–19 pandemic creating 

22 an opportunity for the Government of the PRC to 

23 launch a disinformation campaign aimed at sowing 

24 internal social division and undermining confidence 

25 in the response of Taiwanese authorities, Taiwan 


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1 has been overwhelmingly successful in controlling 

2 the pandemic. 

3 (7) The Global Cooperation and Training 

4 Framework, a United States-Taiwan-Japan platform 

5 for Taiwan to share its expertise with the world, has 

6 sponsored nearly 30 workshops since 2015 to share 

7 Taiwan’s knowledge on issues such as addressing 

8 COVID–19 misinformation, disaster relief, women’s 

9 empowerment, and good governance. 

10 (8) Section 2(b)(2) of the Taiwan Relations Act 

11 (22 U.S.C. 3301(b)(2)) states it is the policy of the 

12 United States ‘‘to declare that peace and stability in 

13 the [Western Pacific] area are in the political, secu14 rity, and economic interests of the United States, 

15 and are matters of international concern’’. 

16 (9) The PRC’s recent military activities around 

17 Taiwan, including conducting 10 transits and mili18 tary exercises near Taiwan since January 2021 and 

19 380 sorties into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification 

20 Zone in 2020 (the greatest number since 1996), 

21 have destabilized Northeast Asia. 

22 (10) Increased air and sea activity in and 

23 around the Taiwan Strait and the East China Sea 

24 by the PRC, Taiwan, the United States, and Japan 

25 increase the likelihood of accidents that may— 


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1 (A) escalate tensions around Taiwan; and 

2 (B) undermine the stability across the Tai3 wan Strait and regional peace in the Northeast 

4 Asia. 

5 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

6 It is the sense of Congress that— 

7 (1) United States engagement with Taiwan 

8 should focus on actions, activities, and programs 

9 that mutually benefit the United States and Taiwan; 

10 (2) the United States should prioritize— 

11 (A) people-to-people exchanges; 

12 (B) bilateral and multilateral economic co13 operation; and 

14 (C) assisting Taiwan’s efforts to partici15 pate in international institutions; 

16 (3) the United States should pursue new en17 gagement initiatives with Taiwan, such as— 

18 (A) enhancing cooperation on science and 

19 technology; 

20 (B) joint infrastructure development in 

21 third countries; 

22 (C) renewable energy and environmental 

23 sustainability development; and 

24 (D) investment screening coordination; 


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1 (4) the United States should expand its finan2 cial support for the Global Cooperation and Training 

3 Framework, and encourage like-minded countries to 

4 co-sponsor workshops, to showcase Taiwan’s capac5 ity to contribute to solving global challenges in the 

6 face of the Government of the PRC’s campaign to 

7 isolate Taiwan in the international community; 

8 (5) to advance the goals of the April 2021 De9 partment of State guidance expanding unofficial 

10 United States-Taiwan contacts, the United States, 

11 Taiwan, and Japan should aim to host Global Co12 operation and Training Framework workshops timed 

13 to coincide with plenaries and other meetings of 

14 international organizations in which Taiwan is un15 able to participate; 

16 (6) the United States should support efforts to 

17 engage regional counterparts in Track 1.5 and 

18 Track 2 dialogues on the stability across the Taiwan 

19 Strait, which are important for increasing strategic 

20 awareness amongst all parties and the avoidance of 

21 conflict; 

22 (7) United States arms sales to Taiwan should 

23 support Taiwan’s asymmetric defense capabilities, as 

24 outlined in Taiwan’s Overall Defense Concept, and 

25 improve Taiwan’s military deterrent; 


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1 (8) bilateral confidence-building measures and 

2 crisis stability dialogues between the United States 

3 and the PRC are important mechanisms for main4 taining deterrence and stability across the Taiwan 

5 Strait and should be prioritized; and 

6 (9) the United States and the PRC should 

7 prioritize the use of a fully operational military crisis 

8 hotline to provide a mechanism for the leadership of 

9 the two countries to communicate directly in order 

10 to quickly resolve misunderstandings that could lead 

11 to military escalation. 

12 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

13 In this Act: 

14 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT15 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com16 mittees’’ means— 

17 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

18 the Senate; 

19 (B) the Committee on Armed Services of 

20 the Senate; 

21 (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

22 the House of Representatives; and 

23 (D) the Committee on Armed Services of 

24 the House of Representatives. 


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1 (2) CHINA; PRC.—The terms ‘‘China’’ and 

2 ‘‘PRC’’ mean the People’s Republic of China. 

3 (3) TAIWAN AUTHORITIES.—The term ‘‘Taiwan 

4 authorities’’ means officials of the Government of 

5 Taiwan. 

6 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE 

7 GLOBAL COOPERATION AND TRAINING 

8 FRAMEWORK. 

9 There are authorized to be appropriated for the Glob10 al Cooperation and Training Framework under the Eco11 nomic Support Fund authorized under section 531 of the 

12 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2346), 

13 $6,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2022 through 

14 2025, which may be expended for trainings and activities 

15 that increase Taiwan’s economic and international inte16 gration. 

17 SEC. 6. ENHANCING PARTNERSHIP. 

18 (a) NATIONAL GUARD PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

20 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec21 retary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary 

22 of State and the appropriate Taiwan authorities, 

23 shall submit a report to the appropriate congres24 sional committees regarding the feasibility and ad25 visability of establishing a National Guard partnerVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:21 Oct 29, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3068.IS S3068

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1 ship program between United States National Guard 

2 forces and the Armed Forces Reserve Command of 

3 Taiwan (referred to in this section as ‘‘Taiwan’s Re4 serve Command’’). 

5 (2) OBJECTIVES.—The report required under 

6 paragraph (1) shall examine how the establishment 

7 of a National Guard partnership program would— 

8 (A) advance Taiwan’s Reserve Command’s 

9 ability to recruit, train, and equip its forces, in10 cluding its ability to require and provide regular 

11 individual and collective training to all reserve 

12 forces; 

13 (B) cultivate relationships among United 

14 States and Taiwan reserve forces at the tac15 tical, operational, and strategic levels; 

16 (C) enhance Taiwan’s ability to respond to 

17 humanitarian disasters; and 

18 (D) strengthen Taiwan’s ability to defend 

19 against outside military aggression. 

20 (3) CONTENTS.—The report required under 

21 paragraph (1) shall include— 

22 (A) a comprehensive assessment of the pol23 icy opportunities and drawbacks associated with 

24 establishing a National Guard partnership pro25 gram; 


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1 (B) an assessment of any statutory or ad2 ministrative barriers to establishing such a pro3 gram, including a determination of the feasi4 bility and advisability of— 

5 (i) modifying existing National Guard 

6 partnership authorities; or 

7 (ii) establishing new authorities, as 

8 appropriate; 

9 (C) an evaluation of the capacity of— 

10 (i) United States National Guard 

11 forces to support such a program; and 

12 (ii) Taiwan’s Reserve Command forces 

13 to absorb such a program; 

14 (D) a determination of the most appro15 priate entities within the Department of De16 fense and Taiwan’s Reserve Command to lead 

17 such a program; and 

18 (E) a determination of additional resources 

19 and authorities that may be required to execute 

20 such a program. 

21 (4) FORM OF REPORT.—The report required 

22 under paragraph (1) shall be unclassified, but may 

23 include a classified annex if the Secretary of Defense 

24 and the Secretary of State determine that the inclu25 sion of a classified annex is appropriate. 


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1 (b) TAIWAN’S ASYMMETRIC DEFENSE STRATEGY.— 

2 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 

3 of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with 

4 the Secretary of State, shall submit to the appropriate 

5 congressional committees a classified report, with an un6 classified summary, assessing the implementation of Tai7 wan’s asymmetric defense strategy, including the priorities 

8 identified in Taiwan’s Overall Defense Concept. 

9 SEC. 7. SUPPORTING CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES 

10 AND STABILITY DIALOGUES. 

11 (a) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

12 the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually there13 after, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Sec14 retary of Defense, shall submit an unclassified report, with 

15 a classified annex, to the appropriate congressional com16 mittees that includes— 

17 (1) a description of all military-to-military dia18 logues and confidence-building measures between the 

19 United States and the PRC during the 10-year pe20 riod ending on the date of the enactment of this Act; 

21 (2) a description of all bilateral and multilateral 

22 diplomatic engagements with the PRC in which 

23 cross-Strait issues were discussed during such 10- 

24 year period, including Track 1.5 and Track 2 dia25 logues; 


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1 (3) a description of the efforts in the year pre2 ceding the submission of the report to conduct en3 gagements described in paragraphs (1) and (2); and 

4 (4) a description of how and why the engage5 ments described in paragraphs (1) and (2) have 

6 changed in frequency or substance during such 10- 

7 year period. 

8 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

9 are authorized to be appropriated for the Department of 

10 State, and, as appropriate, the Department of Defense, 

11 no less than $2,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2022 

12 through 2025, which shall be used to support existing 

13 Track 1.5 and Track 2 strategic dialogues facilitated by 

14 independent nonprofit organizations in which participants 

15 meet to discuss cross-Strait stability issues. 

Æ 


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