TRA@40: An Enduring Partnership
Enacted April 10, 1979, the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) authorizes the US to continue substantive relations with Taiwan, and emphasizes that any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means is a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area. The TRA states that the policy of the US government is to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character, and stipulates that the absence of diplomatic relations or recognition shall not affect the application of the laws of the United States with respect to Taiwan. Upon its entry into force, the TRA became the foundation on which the robust Taiwan-US partnership has developed.
On the legal basis provided by the TRA, exchanges between Taiwan and the US have continued to thrive thanks to the efforts of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US (TECRO). The former was established in 1979 under the TRA to represent US interests in Taiwan, and is responsible for promoting bilateral ties in the fields of security, trade and investment, education, culture, and tourism. In response, Taiwan set up TECRO in Washington, DC, to maintain and advance all aspects of Taiwan-US cooperation.
TRA@40 Events:
1.Taiwan Relations Act @40 Kick-Off Reception at Twin Oaks
2.TECRO: More Than Glass and Steel
3.Foreign Minister Joseph Wu delivered a speech at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council
4.TRA@40 Seminar: “Phase Zero: A New Taiwan Policy?”
5.TRA@40 Seminar: “Taiwan-US: An Enduring Partnership in the Indo-Pacific”
6.TRA@40 Exhibition at East-West Center
9.Washington Times published Representative Stanley Kao's Letter to Editor (April 16, 2019)
