Updated June 26, 2019
Taiwan: Select Political and Security Issues
Taiwan, which officially calls itself the Republic of China
Taiwan’s Modern History
(ROC), is an island democracy of 23.6 million people
China’s Qing Dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan at the end of
located across the Taiwan Strait from mainland China.
the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895. The Republic of
Since January 1, 1979, U.S.-Taiwan relations have been
China, which was founded in 1912 on mainland China and
unofficial, a consequence of the Carter Administration’s
led by the Kuomintang Party (KMT), assumed control of
decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s
Taiwan in 1945, after Japan’s defeat in World War II. In
Republic of China (PRC) and break formal diplomatic ties
1949, after losing a civil war to the Communist Party of
with self-ruled Taiwan, over which the PRC claims
China, the KMT moved the seat of the ROC to Taipei, and
sovereignty. The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA, P.L. 96-8; 22
the Communists established the PRC on mainland China.
U.S.C. 3301 et seq.), enacted on April 10, 1979, provides a
legal basis for this unofficial bilateral relationship. It also
Figure 1. Taiwan
includes commitments related to Taiwan’s security.
Trump Administration Policy
After initially questioning the long-standing U.S. “one-
China” policy, President Donald J. Trump used a February
2017 telephone call with PRC President Xi Jinping to
recommit the United States to the policy, under which the
United States maintains only unofficial ties with Taiwan,
while upholding the TRA. The Trump Administration’s
December 2017 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.”
Trump Administration language on Taiwan has evolved
since 2017. The Department of Defense’s (DOD’s) June
2019 Indo-Pacific Strategy Report discusses Taiwan
without referencing the U.S. “one-China” policy. In a first
for a high-profile U.S. government report in the era of
unofficial relations, it refers to Taiwan as a “country.” The
strategy presents Taiwan, along with Singapore, New
Source: Graphic by CRS. Map generated by Hannah Fischer using
Zealand, and Mongolia, as Indo-Pacific democracies that
data from NGA (2017); DoS (2015); Esri (2014); DeLorme (2014).
are “reliable, capable, and natural partners of the United
Long after the retreat to Taiwan, the KMT continued to
States.” The document also asserts that, “The United States
assert that the ROC government was the sole legitimate
has a vital interest in upholding the rules-based
government of all China. In 1971, however, United Nations
international order, which includes a strong, prosperous,
General Assembly Resolution 2758 recognized the PRC’s
and democratic Taiwan.” In line with the strategy, in June
representatives as “the only legitimate representatives of
2019, DOD created a new Deputy Assistant Secretary of
China to the United Nations,” and expelled “the
Defense (DASD) position focused solely on China, leaving
representatives of Chiang Kai-shek,” the ROC’s president
Taiwan under the DASD for East Asia. With the move,
at the time. Taiwan has remained outside the United
DOD for the first time assigned responsibility for China and
Nations ever since. Taiwan today claims “effective
Taiwan to separate DASDs. In another first, in May 2019,
jurisdiction” only over Taiwan, the archipelagos of Penghu,
the United States hosted a meeting between the U.S. and
Kinmen, and Matsu, and some smaller islands. The ROC
Taiwan National Security Advisors. On May 30, 2019, a
also claims disputed islands in the East China Sea and
spokesperson for the PRC’s Ministry of National Defense
South China Sea.
accused the United States of “playing with fire” in its
approach to Taiwan.
On Taiwan, the KMT maintained authoritarian one-party
rule until 1987, when it began allowing political
The United States conducts unofficial relations with Taiwan
liberalization. Current President Tsai Ing-wen’s Democratic
through the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), a nonprofit
Progressive Party (DPP), was founded in 1986. Taiwan held
corporation. A new $255-million AIT complex in Taipei
its first direct parliamentary election in 1992 and its first
opened in May 2019. AIT-Taiwan collaborations include
direct presidential election in 1996. President Tsai’s May
the Global Cooperation and Training Framework and new
2016 inauguration marked Taiwan’s third peaceful transfer
Indo-Pacific Democratic Governance Consultations.
of political power from one party to another. In 2016, the
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Taiwan: Select Political and Security Issues
DPP also ended the KMT’s previously unbroken control of
sovereignty and territorial integrity.” On January 2, 2019,
Taiwan’s legislature, the 113-member Legislative Yuan.
PRC President Xi recommitted the PRC to peaceful
unification, but reserved the option to use force. He called
The DPP suffered deep losses in November 2018 local
elections. It now controls 6 of Taiwan’s 22 municipalities,
for exploring “a Taiwan plan for ‘one country, two
to the KMT’s 15, with one in the hands of an independent.
systems,’” a reference to an arrangement under which
mainland China and Taiwan would be parts of one country,
Taiwan is to hold presidential and legislative elections on
but maintain different political and other systems.
January 11, 2020. President Tsai is running for re-election.
U.S. Commitments Related to Taiwan
Unlike her KMT predecessor, President Tsai has declined
to endorse the “1992 consensus,” under which both sides of
Four documents have long underpinned U.S. policy on
the Taiwan Strait acknowledged “one China,” but retained
Taiwan: the TRA and joint communiqués concluded with
their own interpretations of what it meant. In January 2019,
the PRC in 1972, 1978, and 1982. In the communiqués, the
Tsai charged that “the Beijing authorities’ definition of the
United States said it would recognize the PRC as the “sole
‘1992 consensus’ is ‘one China’ and ‘one country, two
legal government of China”; acknowledge, if not affirm,
systems.’” The latter approach, she said in March 2019,
“the Chinese position that there is but one China and
“unilaterally undermines the status quo, eliminates the
Taiwan is part of China”; and maintain only unofficial
sovereignty of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and forces
relations with Taiwan. The United States does not take a
Taiwan to accept unification with China.”
position on Taiwan’s future status, but insists that it be
The PRC announced in June 2016 that it had suspended
resolved peacefully without resort to threats or use of force.
contacts with Taiwan because of President Tsai’s
Key provisions of the TRA include:
unwillingness to endorse the “1992 consensus.” Since
Tsai’s 2016 election, the PRC has increased pressure on
Relations with Taiwan shall be carried out through AIT.
Taiwan in many areas. It has established diplomatic
(AIT Taipei performs many of the same functions as
relations with six countries that previously recognized
U.S. embassies elsewhere and is staffed by U.S.
Taiwan: the Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, Panama, the
government personnel assigned or detailed to AIT.)
Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, and El Salvador.
It is U.S. policy “to consider any effort to determine the
Taiwan retains diplomatic ties with 17 countries. Militarily,
future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means,
the PRC has stepped up bomber, fighter, and surveillance
including by boycotts or embargoes, a threat to the
aircraft patrols around Taiwan. Internationally, the PRC has
peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of
sought to block Taiwan attendance at international
grave concern to the United States.”
meetings, including as an observer at annual meetings of
It is U.S. policy “to maintain the capacity of the United
the World Health Assembly (WHA).
States to resist any resort to force or other forms of
Taiwan’s Security
coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social
The United States terminated its Mutual Defense Treaty
or economic system, of the people on Taiwan.”
with Taiwan in 1980. It engages with Taiwan’s military
The United States “will make available to Taiwan such
today through dialogues, training, and arms sales. The
defense articles and defense services in such quantity as
Trump Administration has notified Congress of major
may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a
Foreign Military Sales to Taiwan three times, in June 2017
sufficient self-defense capability.”
(seven cases valued at $1.36 billion), in September 2018 (a
$330 million case), and in April 2019 (a $500 million case).
The TRA does not require the United States to defend
In April 2018, the State Department issued licenses to allow
Taiwan, but states that is U.S. policy to maintain the
U.S. firms to market technology to Taiwan for its
capacity to do so, creating “strategic ambiguity” regarding
indigenous submarine program. Taiwan has publicly
the U.S. role in the event of a PRC attack on Taiwan.
confirmed requests to purchase tanks, missiles, and F-16V
The Six Assurances
fighter jets from the United States. In 2019, the U.S. Navy
President Ronald Reagan communicated what became
has conducted monthly transits of the Taiwan Strait.
known as the “Six Assurances” to Taiwan before the
Select Legislation in the 116th Congress
announcement of the 1982 U.S.-PRC communiqué. They
include an assurance that in the negotiations with the PRC,
In the 116th Congress, H.Res. 273 and S.Con.Res. 13, both
the United States did not agree “to engage in prior
agreed to by their respective chambers, reaffirm the U.S.
consultations with Beijing on arms sales to Taiwan,” and
commitment to Taiwan and the TRA. House-passed H.R.
did not agree to set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan.
353 and S. 249, reported on June 3, 2019, would require
The PRC, Taiwan, and “One China”
additional information in annual reports on Taiwan and the
WHA. S. 249 would also require briefings on U.S. actions
The PRC maintains that mainland China and Taiwan are
to strengthen Taiwan’s official and unofficial relations with
parts of “one China” whose sovereignty cannot be divided.
other governments. The Taiwan Assurance Act of 2019
A 2005 PRC Anti-Secession Law commits Beijing to “do
(House-passed H.R. 2002 and S. 878) would seek to foster
its utmost with maximum sincerity to achieve a peaceful
security in Taiwan.
unification” with Taiwan, but states that in the case of
Taiwan’s “secession” from China, or in a situation in which
Susan V. Lawrence,
the PRC concludes that possibilities for peaceful unification
have been exhausted, “the state shall employ non
IF10275
-peaceful
means and other necessary measures to protect China’s
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Taiwan: Select Political and Security Issues
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10275 · VERSION 37 · UPDATED