Updated January 21, 2020
Taiwan: Select Political and Security Issues
Taiwan, which officially calls itself the Republic of China
the time. Taiwan has remained outside the United Nations
(ROC), is an island democracy of 23.6 million people
ever since. Taiwan today claims “effective jurisdiction”
located across the Taiwan Strait from mainland China.
over Taiwan, the archipelagos of Penghu, Kinmen, and
U.S.-Taiwan relations have been unofficial since January 1,
Matsu, and some smaller islands. It also claims disputed
1979, when the Carter Administration established
islands in the East and South China Seas.
diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China
On Taiwan, the KMT maintained authoritarian one-party
(PRC) and broke formal diplomatic ties with self-ruled
rule until 1987, when popular pressure forced it to allow
Taiwan, over which the PRC claims sovereignty. The
political liberalization. Taiwan held its first direct
Taiwan Relations Act (TRA, P.L. 96-8; 22 U.S.C. 3301 et
parliamentary election in 1992 and its first direct
seq.), enacted on April 10, 1979, provides a legal basis for
presidential election in 1996. The May 2016 inauguration
this unofficial bilateral relationship. It also includes
of current President Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic
commitments related to Taiwan’s security. For discussion
Progressive Party (DPP) marked Taiwan’s third peaceful
of issues related to Taiwan’s economy, see CRS In Focus
transfer of political power from one party to another. In
IF10256, U.S.-Taiwan Trade Relations, by Karen M. Sutter.
2016, the DPP also ended the KMT’s previously unbroken
Taiwan’s Modern History
control of Taiwan’s legislature, the Legislative Yuan.
China’s Qing Dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan at the end of
2020 Elections
the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895. The Republic of
In elections on January 11, 2020, President Tsai clinched a
China, which was founded in 1912 on mainland China and
second four-year term with the most votes for a presidential
led by the Kuomintang Party (KMT), assumed control of
Taiwan in 1945, after Japan’s defeat
candidate since Taiwan began direct elections, winning
in World War II. In
57.1% of the presidential vote to KMT candidate and
1949, after losing a civil war to the Communist Party of
Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu’s 38.6%. Her party, the
China, the KMT moved the seat of the ROC to Taipei, and
DPP, retained control of the legislature. The results have
the Communists established the PRC on mainland China.
empowered Tsai to move forward with an agenda that
Figure 1. Taiwan
includes demanding “respect from China” for what she calls
Taiwan’s “separate identity.” Months of protests in Hong
Kong likely contributed to Tsai’s wide margin of victory,
with voters seeing events in the PRC Special
Administrative Region as vindicating Tsai’s wariness of the
PRC. Her chief rival, Han, favored closer PRC ties. With a
loss of 7 seats, the DPP now controls 61 seats in the 113-
seat legislature. The KMT controls 38 seats, a gain of 3
seats. Three smaller parties control a combined 9 seats and
independents control 5 seats. U.S. Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo congratulated Tsai on her win and applauded “her
commitment to maintaining cross-Strait stability in the face
of unrelenting pressure.” PRC State Councilor and Foreign
Minister Wang Yi dismissed the significance of what he
called “a local election in Taiwan,” asserting, “The
rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and reunification across
the Taiwan Strait is an invincible trend of history.”
Trump Administration Policy
The Trump Administration has sought to “strengthen and
deepen” bilateral relations with Taiwan, including by

Sources: Graphic by CRS. Map generated by Hannah Fischer using
hosting a May 2019 meeting between the U.S. and Taiwan
data from NGA (2017); DoS (2015); Esri (2014); DeLorme (2014).
National Security Advisors, reportedly the first such
meeting in the era of unofficial relations. In September
Long after the retreat to Taiwan, the KMT continued to
2019 congressional testimony, Assistant Secretary of State
assert that the ROC government was the sole legitimate
for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell signaled,
government of all China. In 1971, however, United Nations
however, that the Trump Administration remains
General Assembly Resolution 2758 recognized the PRC’s
committed to the fundamental post-1979 framework of
representatives as “the only legitimate representatives of
U.S.-Taiwan relations, under which the United States
China to the United Nations,” and expelled “the
maintains official relations with the PRC and unofficial ties
representatives of Chiang Kai-shek,” the ROC’s leader at
with Taiwan, while upholding the TRA. (This U.S. “one-
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Taiwan: Select Political and Security Issues
China policy” is distinct from the PRC’s “one-China
The PRC, Taiwan, and “One China”
principle,” which asserts that Taiwan is part of China.) In
The PRC maintains that mainland China and Taiwan are
his testimony, Stilwell referred to Taiwan as a “non-state”
parts of “one China” whose sovereignty cannot be divided.
entity and referenced 1970s-era U.S.-China communiqués
A 2005 PRC Anti-Secession Law commits Beijing to “do
(see below), stating, “We, certainly, want to remain inside
its utmost with maximum sincerity to achieve a peaceful
our own commitments to the PRC.”
unification” with Taiwan. It states, however, that in the case
An increasingly prominent element of U.S. policy is an
of Taiwan’s “secession” from China, or in a situation in
effort to help Taiwan strengthen its relations with other
which the PRC concludes that possibilities for peaceful
countries, particularly the 15 countries that maintain
unification have been exhausted, “the state shall employ
diplomatic relations with Taiwan, rather than the PRC. In
non-peaceful means and other necessary measures to
2019, Japan joined the United States and Taiwan as a
protect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” On
formal member of the Global Cooperation and Training
January 2, 2019, PRC President Xi recommitted the PRC to
Framework, which convenes workshops to share Taiwan’s
peaceful unification, but reserved the option to use force.
expertise with other countries. Also in 2019, the United
He called for exploring “a Taiwan plan for ‘one country,
States and Taiwan launched Indo-Pacific Democratic
two systems,’” a reference to an arrangement under which
Governance Consultations, to help Indo-Pacific countries
mainland China and Taiwan would be parts of one country,
address governance challenges, and a new Pacific Islands
but maintain different political and other systems. Hong
Dialogue, to help “meet the development needs of Taiwan’s
Kong is currently subject to such an arrangement; the
diplomatic partners in the Pacific.”
protest movement reflects popular dissatisfaction with it.
Although the United States terminated its Mutual Defense
Unlike her KMT predecessor, President Tsai has not
Treaty with Taiwan in 1980, it engages with Taiwan’s
endorsed the “1992 consensus,” under which Taiwan and
military through dialogues, training, and arms sales. The
the PRC acknowledged “one China,” but retained their own
Trump Administration has notified Congress five times of
interpretations of what it meant. In March 2019, she
proposed major Foreign Military Sales cases for Taiwan (11
denounced Xi’s “one country-two systems” plan, saying it
cases with a combined value of about $11.76 billion). The
“unilaterally undermines the status quo, eliminates the
largest case is for 66 F-16C/D Block 70 aircraft and related
sovereignty of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and forces
equipment and support, worth about $8 billion. In 2019, the
Taiwan to accept unification with China.” In a BBC
U.S. Navy conducted 10 transits of the Taiwan Strait.
interview after her re-election, Tsai said, “We don’t have a
need to declare ourselves an independent state. We are an
U.S. Commitments Related to Taiwan
independent country already and we call ourselves the
Four documents underpin the U.S. “one-China policy” and
Republic of China (Taiwan).”
U.S. relations with Taiwan: joint communiqués concluded
The PRC suspended contacts with Taiwan in June 2016
with the PRC in 1972, 1978, and 1982, plus the TRA. In the
over Tsai’s unwillingness to endorse the “1992 consensus.”
three joint communiqués, the United States recognized the
Since Tsai’s initial 2016 election, the PRC has established
PRC as the “sole legal government of China”;
diplomatic relations with eight countries that previously
acknowledged, though did not affirm, “the Chinese position
recognized Taiwan: first the Gambia, then Sao Tome and
that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China”;
Principe, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso,
and pledged to maintain only unofficial relations with
El Salvador, the Solomon Islands, and Kiribati. The PRC
Taiwan. The United States does not take a position on
has also stepped up military patrols around Taiwan and
Taiwan’s future political status, but insists that it be
blocked Taiwan’s attendance as an observer at annual
resolved peacefully without resort to threats or use of force.
World Health Assembly meetings, which Taiwan attended
Key provisions of the TRA include the following:
from 2009 to 2016. The PRC has offered carrots, too:

2018’s “31 measures” and 2019’s “26 measures,” intended
Relations with Taiwan shall be carried out through the
to improve living and working conditions and business
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), a private
opportunities for Taiwan people in mainland China.
corporation. (AIT Taipei performs many of the same
functions as U.S. embassies elsewhere and is staffed by
Select Legislation in the 116th Congress
U.S. government personnel assigned or detailed to AIT.)
The National Defense Authorization Act for FY2020 (P.L.
 It is U.S. policy “to maintain the capacity of the United
116-92) requires a review and report related to the TRA, a
States to resist any resort to force or other forms of
report on cybersecurity activities with Taiwan, and a report
coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social
on PRC efforts to influence Taiwan’s 2020 election. It also
or economic system, of the people on Taiwan.”
includes sense of Congress provisions on enhancement of

the U.S.-Taiwan defense relationship. The TAIPEI Act of
The United States “will make available to Taiwan such
2019 (H.R. 4754 and Senate-passed S. 1678) would
defense articles and defense services in such quantity as
encourage the U.S. government to support Taiwan in
may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a
strengthening its official and unofficial relationships, and to
sufficient self-defense capability.”
consider increasing or reducing U.S. engagement with
The TRA does not require the United States to defend
nations that enhance relations with or undermine Taiwan.
Taiwan, but states that it is U.S. policy to maintain the
capacity to do so, creating “strategic ambiguity” regarding
Susan V. Lawrence, Specialist in Asian Affairs
the U.S. role in the event of a PRC attack on Taiwan.
IF10275
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Taiwan: Select Political and Security Issues


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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10275 · VERSION 42 · UPDATED