4 amendments approved to deepen US-Taiwan ties

Amendments include 'honest maps,' removing restrictions, easing communication, and allowing longer stays by Taiwanese leaders

By Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

2023/10/02 13:10

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Four amendments proposed by Representative Tom Tiffany that enhance ties between U.S. and Taiwan were approved for two different appropriations by the U.S. House last week.

On Sept. 27, Tiffany's "honest maps" amendment and a second amendment lifting State Department restrictions on interactions between U.S. and Taiwanese officials were approved for the Department of Defense Appropriations Act. On Sept. 28, an amendment enabling Taiwanese leaders to stay for longer trips in the U.S. and an amendment removing limits on communications between U.S. official and their Taiwanese counterparts were cleared by the House for the Department of State Appropriations Act.

Tiffany's "honest maps" amendment bars the Department of Defense from "creating, procuring, or displaying" any maps that portray Taiwan as part of China's territory. The second amendment passed for the Department of Defense (DoD) funding bill exempts members of the U.S. military and civilian DoD employees from "several arbitrary" State Department "Guidelines" that limit communication and cooperation with Taiwan counterparts.

The first pro-amendment passed under the State Department funding bill would put an end to the department's practice of "relegating Taiwan’s elected leaders to short U.S. transits in cities that are often far away from Washington, DC." The second amendment prohibits the expenditure of funds to enforce the "Guidelines" on government contacts with Taiwan that were reimposed by the Biden administration in 2021.

Tiffany said the restrictions, which were made at the behest of Beijing, are "not only counter-productive, they actually conflict with existing U.S. law." Tiffany said that these Taiwan regulations, "like so many elements of our failed 'one China Policy,' simply perpetuate Beijing's lies, and reward their bad behavior."

"America doesn’t need a permission slip from Communist China to talk to friends and allies. And that policy should end today," said Tiffany.

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