BY HENRY LAN AND LINDA YANG

A selection of these news stories are also covered in AmCham Taiwan’s Executive Sweet podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and online, here.

President Tsai Visits U.S. on Transit Trip

President Tsai Ing-wen on March 29 embarked on a 10-day trip to Central American diplomatic allies Guatemala and Belize, with stopovers in New York and Los Angeles.

In a press briefing, the U.S. State Department said that transit through the U.S. is consistent with longstanding practice. Tsai had transited through the U.S. six previous times since taking office in 2016, most recently in 2019 when she visited diplomatic allies in the Caribbean.

On April 5, Tsai met U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. The United States intelligence community assessed that Beijing would likely view the meeting as less provocative than her meeting with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whom she met with during Pelosi’s visit to Taipei in August last year. The U.S. warned China not to use the transit as a pretext for aggressive action against Taiwan.

Honduras Cuts Ties With Taiwan

Honduras has officially established diplomatic relations with China and ended its decades-long relationship with Taiwan. In a statement, the Honduran Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged “the existence of one China in the world and that the government of the People’s Republic of China represents China as a whole,” and stated that “Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory.”

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said the Honduran government had requested “billions of dollars in huge economic assistance” in order not to sever diplomatic relations. In a video statement, President Tsai said Taiwan would not engage in “meaningless” dollar diplomacy in competition with China.

The termination of ties with Honduras leaves Taiwan with diplomatic relations with only 13 countries, including the Vatican.

Rosenberger Named New AIT Chair

Laura Rosenberger has been appointed Chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), replacing James F. Moriarty, who is retiring. Rosenberger, who will be based at AIT’s Washington headquarters, previously served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for China and Taiwan at the National Security Council. She participated in a video conference with AmCham Taiwan last summer as part of the Chamber’s Virtual Doorknock.

“As AIT Chair, Ms. Rosenberger will participate in policy-level discussions on Taiwan and represent the Administration in visits to Taiwan and in meetings with Taiwan representatives in the United States,” an AIT statement said.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the appointment, stating that Rosenberger’s extensive experience would further elevate the comprehensive and close Taiwan-U.S. partnership.

American Support for Taiwan Remains Solid

Polling conducted by The Economist and YouGov, a British-based market research and data analytics company, indicate that support for Taiwan among the American public remains solid, with most Americans believing their country should commit to protecting Taiwan from Chinese aggression. Over half (54%) of respondents said it is more important for the U.S. “to take a strong stand so that China does not take over Taiwan by force,” while 24% said it was more important “to maintain good relations with China.”

In the case of an armed conflict between China and Taiwan, 37% of Americans agreed that the “U.S. should help protect Taiwan with military force,” whereas 22% disagreed. However, 41% said they didn’t know enough about the topic to express an opinion.

Of those with a deeper understanding of the topic, 65% supported U.S. military involvement, compared to 25% who did not. The survey of 1,500 American adults was conducted in late February.

U.S. Approves Arms Sale Package

The Biden administration on March 1 announced a new arms sale to Taiwan in a package worth US$619 million consisting of missiles and components for F-16 fighter jets. Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin are the principal contractors. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said the approval illustrates the continuing U.S. commitment to ensuring Taiwan can defend itself. The ministry said it expected the sale to be approved by Congress within the month.

In another development related to U.S.-Taiwan relations, several bills in support of Taiwan’s inclusion in international organizations were passed by committees of the House of Representatives. A bill passed by the Financial Services Committee instructs the U.S.-appointee on the International Monetary Fund board of governors to advocate for Taiwan’s membership in the UN-affiliated agency. The Foreign Affairs Committee passed the Upholding Sovereignty of Airspace Act, which contains a provision supporting Taiwan’s participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Cash Handout Program Begins

Beginning March 22, the government began payments of rebates from last year’s tax surplus, equal to NT$6,000 per person. Eligible recipients can apply for payment online at 6000.gov.tw until October, with funds paid directly into recipients’ bank accounts or collected from designated ATMs or post offices. Taiwanese citizens, foreign nationals with permanent residency, and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens are eligible for the handouts.

Former President Ma Pays Visit to China

Ma Ying-jeou, who was president of Taiwan from 2008 to 2016, made a historic visit to China as the first former Taiwanese leader ever to do so.

He led a delegation of Taiwanese students to several Chinese cities and paid respects to his ancestors in the southwestern province of Hunan during the 12-day trip. He also visited sites historically important to the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan’s official name, including the Nanjing memorial of ROC founder Sun Yat-sen.

In a statement, the Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation said the former president and his delegation of Taiwanese students met their Chinese counterparts to promote exchange and mutual understanding.

Ma was the first Taiwan president to meet a leader of the Chinese Communist Party when he met with Xi Jinping in 2015 in Singapore. His visit has been criticized by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and President Tsai Ing-wen, who has expressed concern that the former president might attempt to strike deals with the mainland government. Taiwan Republic Office director Chilly Chen led a protest against Ma and his delegation at the airport as they embarked, accusing Ma of choosing to “stand with Beijing.”

Direct Flights Resume to 10 Chinese Cities

On March 10, regular air routes resumed between Taiwan and 10 Chinese cities, with 13 other cities selected for charter flights. The 10 cities are Chongqing, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Wuhan, and Zhengzhou.

At the height of the pandemic, flights operated only to Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Xiamen. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said that cities covered by charter flights, including Changsha, Dalian, and Xi’an, did not yet meet requirements based on a comprehensive evaluation of the risks, airline operating capacity, and the amount of business and travel that traditionally take place between the cities and Taiwan.