As newly inaugurated President Joseph R. Biden Jr. took office last month, many questions remained about what direction U.S.-Taiwan relations would take under his leadership. While Biden and his Cabinet picks did espouse strong support for Taiwan policy during his presidential campaign, most observers agree that the opening months of his presidency will mostly be…
U.S., Taiwan Hold Economic Talks The inaugural U.S.-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Dialogue (EPP) was held in mid-November. The nine-hour talks took place both virtually and through physical meetings in Washington, D.C. and culminated in a five-year memorandum of understanding between the two sides. Among the topics discussed during the EPP were bilateral economic cooperation in the…
Amid the disruption caused by COVID-19, Taiwan’s hospitals have turned to online tools to maintain valuable partnerships with Southeast Asian countries forged under the New Southbound Policy. As one of the flagship programs of the Taiwan government’s New Southbound Policy (NSP), the One Country, One Center (1C1C) project enables Taiwan to share its vaunted healthcare…
A discussion currently underway in American foreign policy circles focuses on how best to define the potential U.S. response to a military attack on Taiwan. Washington’s longstanding approach to the matter has been called “strategic ambiguity” – a vague statement of support for Taiwan in the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) but no explicit commitment to…
Hong Kong Rally Held in Taipei An October 25 rally in Taipei supporting 12 Hong Kong activists who were arrested when trying to flee to Taiwan in August drew hundreds of participants from across the island. Dressed in black and carrying signs bearing the slogan “Save 12” and other messages of support, rally attendees marched…
Recent progress in tightening the U.S.-Taiwan relationship has been stunning. Developments have included high-profile visits to Taipei by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, as well as the Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment. Additional major military sales are reportedly in the offing, following Taiwan’s August purchase of…
U.S. Official Krach Makes Brief Visit U.S. Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Keith J. Krach made a brief visit to Taiwan from September 17 to 19. While Krach is the highest-ranking State Department official to visit Taiwan since the U.S. cut official ties with the island in 1979, his trip…
Taiwan and the U.S. are seeking build alternatives to production of critical equipment in China in the wake of the global pandemic. First came the U.S.-China “trade war,” with Washington encouraging American companies to leave China and bring manufacturing back home. Then COVID-19 struck, halting the flow of medical equipment and other goods and laying…
Besides making Taiwan one of the safest places on Earth, the Tsai administration’s adept handling of the COVID-19 crisis has brought additional benefits in the diplomatic sphere. Most notably, Taiwan’s public health achievements in the face of the coronavirus provided the rationale for last month’s visit to Taipei by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human…
AmCham Meets with President Tsai AmCham Taipei Chairman CW Chin and several AmCham staff members met with President Tsai Ing-wen at the Presidential Office on August 18. Speaking with the group, President Tsai called attention to the deepening U.S.-Taiwan partnership in light of a bilateral memorandum of understanding (MOU) on health cooperation signed during the…
