President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed into law legislation that will see the State Department regularly reviewing and updated guidelines for official US interaction with Taiwan.
The new Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act mandates the State Department to review contacts with Taiwan at least once every five years.
It follows a measure introduced under the first Trump presidency that removed restrictions on engagements between US officials and their Taiwanese peers; this has been in place since 1979, when the US switched official recognition from Taiwan to mainland China.
The move was welcomed in Taiwan. Karen Huo, a spokesperson for the Presidential Office said that the law “affirms the value of U.S. interaction with Taiwan, supports closer Taiwan-U.S. relations, and stands as a firm symbol of our shared values of democracy, freedom, and respect for human rights.”
Foreign minister Lin Chia-lung said that these guidelines would open space for greater interaction between Taiwanese and US officials.
The reaction from China was more critical. Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that China opposed all contact between the US and the “the Taiwan region of China.”
“The Taiwan question is the core of China’s core interests and the first red line that must not be crossed in China–U.S. relations,” he continued.
China called on the US not to take any actions that would encourage Taiwan to think of itself or act as a country separate from China.
[Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tsaiian/19472808621]