S. 1678 

One Hundred Sixteenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and twenty 

An Act 

To express United States support for Taiwan’s diplomatic alliances around the 

world. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Taiwan Allies International 

Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019’’. 

SEC. 2. DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH TAIWAN. 

(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: 

(1) The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 (Public Law 96– 

8) states that it is the policy of the United States ‘‘to preserve 

and promote extensive, close, and friendly commercial, cultural, 

and other relations between the people of the United States 

and the people on Taiwan’’. 

(2) The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 states that it is 

the policy of the United States ‘‘to maintain the capacity of 

the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms 

of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social 

or economic system, of the people on Taiwan’’. 

(3) Taiwan is a free, democratic, and prosperous nation 

of 23,000,000 people and an important contributor to peace 

and stability around the world. 

(4) Since the election of President Tsai Ing-wen as President of Taiwan in 2016, the Government of the People’s 

Republic of China has intensified its efforts to pressure Taiwan. 

(5) Since 2016, the Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, 

Panama, the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, 

the Solomon Islands, and Kiribati have severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of diplomatic relations with China. 

(6) Taiwan currently maintains full diplomatic relations 

with 15 nations around the world. 

(7) Taiwan’s unique relationship with the United States, 

Australia, India, Japan, and other countries are of significant 

benefit in strengthening Taiwan’s economy and preserving its 

international space. 

(8) According to President Tsai Ing-wen, the severance 

of diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of diplomatic relations 

with China is ‘‘part of a series of diplomatic and military 

acts of coercion’’ by China. 

(9) The Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (Public 

Law 115–409) states that— 
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(A) it is United States policy ‘‘to support the close 

economic, political, and security relationship between 

Taiwan and the United States’’; and 

(B) the President should— 

(i) ‘‘conduct regular transfers of defense articles 

to Taiwan that are tailored to meet the existing and 

likely future threats from the People’s Republic of 

China, including supporting the efforts of Taiwan to 

develop and integrate asymmetric capabilities, as 

appropriate, including mobile, survivable, and costeffective capabilities, into its military forces’’; and 

(ii) ‘‘encourage the travel of high-level United 

States officials to Taiwan, in accordance with the 

Taiwan Travel Act’’. 

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON TRADE AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS 

WITH TAIWAN. 

It is the sense of Congress that— 

(1) the United States and Taiwan have built a strong 

economic partnership, with the United States now Taiwan’s 

second largest trading partner and with Taiwan the 11th 

largest trading partner of the United States and a key destination for United States agricultural exports; 

(2) strong United States-Taiwan economic relations have 

been a positive factor in stimulating economic growth and job 

creation for the people of both the United States and Taiwan; 

and 

(3) the United States Trade Representative should consult 

with Congress on opportunities for further strengthening 

bilateral trade and economic relations between the United 

States and Taiwan. 

SEC. 4. POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES WITH REGARD TO TAIWAN’S 

PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. 

It should be the policy of the United States— 

(1) to advocate, as appropriate— 

(A) for Taiwan’s membership in all international 

organizations in which statehood is not a requirement and 

in which the United States is also a participant; and 

(B) for Taiwan to be granted observer status in other 

appropriate international organizations; 

(2) to instruct, as appropriate, representatives of the United 

States Government in all organizations described in paragraph 

(1) to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States 

to advocate for Taiwan’s membership or observer status in 

such organizations; and 

(3) for the President or the President’s designees to advocate, as appropriate, for Taiwan’s membership or observer 

status in all organizations described in paragraph (1) as part 

of any relevant bilateral engagements between the United 

States and the People’s Republic of China, including leader 

summits and the U.S.-China Comprehensive Economic Dialogue. 

SEC. 5. STRENGTHENING OF TIES WITH TAIWAN. 

(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that 

the United States Government should— 
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(1) support Taiwan in strengthening its official diplomatic 

relationships as well as other partnerships with countries in 

the Indo-Pacific region and around the world; 

(2) consider, in certain cases as appropriate and in alignment with United States interests, increasing its economic, 

security, and diplomatic engagement with nations that have 

demonstrably strengthened, enhanced, or upgraded relations 

with Taiwan; and 

(3) consider, in certain cases as appropriate, in alignment 

with United States foreign policy interests and in consultation 

with Congress, altering its economic, security, and diplomatic 

engagement with nations that take serious or significant actions 

to undermine the security or prosperity of Taiwan. 

(b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for five years, the Secretary of State shall report to the appropriate congressional committees on the steps taken in accordance with subsection (a). 

(c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DEFINED.—In 

this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ 

means— 

(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee 

on Appropriations, and the Committee on Finance of the Senate; 

and 

(2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on 

Appropriations, and the Committee on Ways and Means of 

the House of Representatives. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.