US House reaffirms commitment to Taiwan

By Agence France Presse | via UNCENSORED Yahoo! News
March 25, 2009

Congress voted Tuesday to reaffirm the US commitment to ensuring Taiwan's security, despite protests from China which claims the island.

The House of Representatives in a voice vote approved a resolution that pledged an "unwavering commitment" to the Taiwan Relations Act -- passed 30 years ago next month -- and called it a "cornerstone" of US policy.

The Taiwan Relations Act requires the United States to maintain the capability to defend Taiwan and to provide the island "arms of a defensive character."

Congress pushed through the 1979 act when president Jimmy Carter recognized Beijing and broke off relations with Taiwan, where China's nationalists fled 30 years earlier after losing the civil war to the communists.

China had warned Congress not to reaffirm the Taiwan Relations Act, which it views as a violation of US promises to recognize only Beijing as China's legitimate government.

China has told US President Barack Obama's administration it will never compromise on Taiwan, despite easing tensions since the island last year elected a Beijing-friendly president, Ma Ying-jeou.

Taiwan's de facto embassy in Washington in the absence of diplomatic relations hailed Congress for offering "staunch support."

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office said in a statement it "deeply appreciates the bipartisan and uniform support of the US Congress."

Representative Shelley Berkley, the chief sponsor of the bill and a member of Obama's Democratic Party, said the resolution sent an important signal as Taiwan "enters a new era of cross-Strait relations."

"Taiwan is an inspiring story of expanding freedom, a robust capitalist economy and a strong trading partner of the United States," she said on the House floor.

"We must do everything in our power to continue protecting it and ensuring its survival," she said.

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