Van Hollen Statement on the Taiwan Policy Act

As China takes increasingly aggressive actions against Taiwan, it is vital that we continue to strengthen the U.S.-Taiwanese relationship and ensure Taiwan’s ability to resist Chinese aggression. To accomplish this, we must stay laser-focused on strengthening Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities – consistent with longstanding U.S. policy outlined in the Three Communiqués, the Taiwan Relations Act, and the Six Assurances – so the government of China understands that any attempt to reunify the island by force will fail.

While I support many of the useful provisions in the Taiwan Policy Act to help advance that goal, I am concerned about some of the other elements in the bill that risk escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait without tangibly benefitting Taiwan’s ability to defend itself – concerns the Biden Administration has also expressed. I am grateful for the leadership of Chairman Menendez and my colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in their efforts to address the security of Taiwan and to strengthen our economic relationship with Taiwan, including adding a provision I authored with Senator Ben Sasse to encourage the President to begin negotiating a tax agreement with Taiwan so Taiwanese and U.S. businesses are no longer double-taxed. But, given my overarching concerns on the legislation, I could not support this bill in its current form. 

Make no mistake: I am deeply committed to working alongside my colleagues in the United States Senate to ensure Taiwan has a greater capacity to defend itself, now and into the future – and I will keep working to achieve that goal.