Updated April 10, 2019
Taiwan: Select Political and Security Issues
Taiwan, which officially calls itself the Republic of China
election in 1992 and its first direct presidential election in
(ROC), is an island democracy of 23.6 million people
1996. President Tsai’s May 2016 inauguration marked
located across the Taiwan Strait from mainland China.
Taiwan’s third peaceful transfer of political power from one
Since January 1, 1979, U.S.-Taiwan relations have been
party to another. In 2016, the DPP also ended the KMT’s
unofficial, a consequence of the Carter Administration’s
previously unbroken control of Taiwan’s legislature, the
decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s
Legislative Yuan.
Republic of China (PRC) and break formal diplomatic ties
The DPP suffered deep losses in November 2018 local
with self-ruled Taiwan, over which the PRC claims
elections. It now controls 6 of Taiwan’s 22 municipalities,
sovereignty. The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA, P.L. 96-8; 22
to the KMT’s 15, with one in the hands of an independent.
U.S.C. 3301 et seq.), enacted on April 10, 1979, provides a
President Tsai has accused the PRC of spreading
legal basis for this unofficial bilateral relationship. It also
disinformation and “dangl[ing] monetary inducements
includes commitments related to Taiwan’s security.
before local governments.” Taiwan is to hold presidential
Trump Administration Policy
and legislative elections on January 11, 2020. President
After initially questioning the long-standing U.S. “one-
Tsai is running for re-election. She faces a challenger from
China” policy, President Donald J. Trump used a February
her own party, former Premier Lai Ching-te, as well as
9, 2017, telephone call with PRC President Xi Jinping to
challengers from the KMT and other parties.
recommit the United States to the policy, under which the
Figure 1. Map of Taiwan
United States maintains only unofficial relations with
Taiwan, while upholding the TRA. The Trump
Administration’s National Security Strategy states that the
United States “will maintain our strong ties with Taiwan in
accordance with our ‘One China’ policy, including our
commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide
for Taiwan’s legitimate defense needs and deter coercion.”
On October 4, 2018, in a major speech on China policy,
Vice President Mike Pence stated that while the Trump
Administration “will continue to respect our One China
Policy,…America will always believe Taiwan’s embrace of
democracy shows a better path for all the Chinese people.”
The United States conducts its unofficial relationship with
Taiwan through the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT),
nominally a nonprofit corporation. In June 2018, Assistant
Secretary of State for Education and Cultural Affairs Marie
Royce led a U.S. delegation to Taiwan for the dedication of
a new $255-million AIT complex. It is to open to the public
on May 6, 2019.
Taiwan’s Modern History
Source: Graphic by CRS. Map generated by Hannah Fischer using
China’s Qing Dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan at the end of
data from NGA (2017); DoS (2015); Esri (2014); DeLorme (2014).
the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895. The Republic of
China, which was founded in 1912 on mainland China and
Long after the retreat to Taiwan, the KMT continued to
led by the Kuomintang Party (KMT), assumed control of
assert that the ROC government was the sole legitimate
Taiwan in 1945, after Japan’s defeat in World War II. In
government of all China. In 1971, however, United Nations
General Assembly Resolution 2758 recognized the PRC’s
1949, after losing a civil war on mainland China to the
Communist Party of China, the KMT moved the seat of the
representatives as “the only legitimate representatives of
ROC across Taiwan Strait to Taipei, while the Communists
China to the United Nations,” and expelled “the
established the PRC on mainland China. As many as 2
representatives of Chiang Kai-shek,” the ROC’s president
million Chinese fled with the KMT to Taiwan.
at the time. Taiwan has remained outside the United
Nations ever since. Taiwan today claims “effective
On Taiwan, the KMT maintained authoritarian one-party
jurisdiction” only over Taiwan, the archipelagos of Penghu,
rule until 1987, when it began allowing political
Kinmen, and Matsu, and some smaller islands. ROC
liberalization. Current President Tsai Ing-wen’s Democratic
sovereignty claims also include disputed islands in the East
Progressive Party (DPP), founded in 1986, claims credit for
China Sea and South China Sea.
a major role “in toppling the KMT’s one-party
dictatorship.” Taiwan held its first direct parliamentary
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Taiwan: Select Political and Security Issues
U.S. Commitments Related to Taiwan
mainland China and Taiwan would be parts of one country,
Four documents underpin U.S. policy on Taiwan: the TRA
but maintain different political and other systems.
and joint communiqués concluded with the PRC in 1972,
In response, President Tsai noted she has never accepted the
1978, and 1982. In the joint communiqués, the United
“1992 consensus,” a formula accepted by her predecessor,
States said it would recognize the PRC as the “sole legal
Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT, under which both sides of the
government of China”; acknowledge, if not affirm, “the
Taiwan Strait acknowledged “one China,” but retained their
Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is
own interpretations of what it meant. She said she had not
part of China”; and maintain only unofficial relations with
accepted the formula “because the Beijing authorities’
Taiwan. The United States does not take a position on
definition of the ‘1992 consensus’ is ‘one China’ and ‘one
Taiwan’s future status, but insists that it be resolved
country, two systems.’” Elaborating on March 11, 2019, she
peacefully without resort to threats or use of force.
charged that the “one country, two systems” approach
“unilaterally undermines the status quo, eliminates the
Passed by Congress in April 1979, the TRA provides the
legal basis for unofficial relations. Key provisions include:
sovereignty of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and forces
Taiwan to accept unification with China.”
Relations with Taiwan shall be carried out through AIT.
(AIT Taipei performs many of the same functions as
The PRC announced in June 2016 that it had suspended
“communication mechanisms” with Taiwan because of
U.S. embassies elsewhere and is staffed by U.S.
President Tsai’s
government personnel assigned or detailed to AIT.)
unwillingness to endorse the “1992
consensus.” Examples of Beijing’s pressure on Taiwan
It is U.S. policy “to consider any effort to determine the
since President Tsai’s January 2016 election include:
future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means,
including by boycotts or embargoes, a threat to the
Six countries that previously recognized Taiwan have
peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of
established diplomatic relations with the PRC: the
grave concern to the United States.”
Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, Panama, the
Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, and El Salvador.
It is U.S. policy “to maintain the capacity of the United
Taiwan retains diplomatic ties with 17 countries.
States to resist any resort to force or other forms of
coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social
On March 31, 2019, two PRC J-11 fighter jets crossed
or economic system, of the people on Taiwan.”
over the median line in the Taiwan Strait, the first
intentional crossing of the line in 20 years.
The United States “will make available to Taiwan such
defense articles and defense services in such quantity as
Since 2017, the PRC has blocked Taiwan’s attendance
may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a
as an observer at annual meetings of the World Health
sufficient self-defense capability.”
Organization’s World Health Assembly (WHA).
The TRA does not require the United States to defend
Taiwan’s Security
Taiwan, but states that is U.S. policy to maintain the
The United States terminated its Mutual Defense Treaty
capacity to do so, creating “strategic ambiguity” regarding
with Taiwan in 1980. It engages with Taiwan’s military
the U.S. role in the event of a PRC attack on Taiwan.
today through dialogues, training, and arms sales. The
The Six Assurances
Trump Administration has twice notified Congress of major
Foreign Military Sales to Taiwan, in June 2017 (seven cases
The Trump Administration has stated that the U.S.-Taiwan
relationship is also “guided” by “
valued at $1.36 billion) and in September 2018 (a single
Six Assurances” that
case valued at $330 million). In April 2018, the State
President Ronald Reagan communicated to Taiwan before
Department issued licenses to allow U.S. firms to market
the announcement of the 1982 U.S.-PRC communiqué.
technology to Taiwan for its indigenous submarine
They include an assurance that in the negotiations, the
United States did not agree “to
program, and in March, 2019, President Tsai said her
engage in prior
government had submitted a Letter of Request to purchase
consultations with Beijing on arms sales to Taiwan,” and
F-16V fighter jets from the United States. The U.S. Navy
did not agree to set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan.
conducts regular transits of the Taiwan Strait.
The PRC, Taiwan, and “One China”
Select Legislation in the 116th Congress
The PRC maintains that mainland China and Taiwan are
parts of “one China” whose sovereignty cannot be divided.
Legislation introduced in the 116th Congress related to
A 2005 PRC Anti-Secession Law commits Beijing to “do
Taiwan includes H.Res. 273 and S.Con.Res. 13, reaffirming
its utmost with maximum sincerity to achieve a peaceful
the U.S. commitment to Taiwan and implementation of the
unification” with Taiwan, but states that in the case of
TRA; S. 878, a bill to foster security in Taiwan; H.R. 2002,
Taiwan’s “secession” from China, or in a situation in which
the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2019; H.R. 237 and S. 249,
the PRC concludes that possibilities for peaceful unification
directing the State Department to include additional
have been exhausted, “the state shall employ non
information in annual reports on Taiwan’s participation in
-peaceful
means and other necessary measures to protect China’s
the WHA; and H.Res. 248, expressing the sense of the
sovereignty and territorial integrity.” On January 2, 2019,
House that the U.S. One-China Policy does not commit it to
PRC President Xi Jinping recommitted the PRC to peaceful
the PRC’s One-China Principle.
unification, but reserved the option to use force. He called
for exploring “a Taiwan plan for ‘one country, two
Susan V. Lawrence,
systems,’” a reference to an arrangement under which
IF10275
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Taiwan: Select Political and Security Issues
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