Unloved but essential: 40 years on, the Taiwan Relations Act remains flexible, durable and effective
- A conference reflects on how a 1979 US law has managed to keep an uneasy cross-strait peace
- ‘Strategic ambiguity’ has benefited not only Taiwan, but China and the US as well
Wednesday marks the 40th anniversary of an American law born of compromise, rooted in ambiguity and mired in minutiae that never completely pleased any of the parties involved, even as it went a long way to preventing war in East Asia.
The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which outlines America’s willingness to defend Taiwan – often to the consternation of China – even though it stopped short of defining the exact nature of its commitment, is a cold-war relic that has proven surprisingly flexible, durable and effective.
In a video link from Taipei, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen adopted a defiant tone Tuesday as she spoke to a conference in Washington marking the law’s four-decade history. During her 45-minute presentation, Tsai vowed to strengthen Taiwan’s defence and counter any use by Beijing of boycotts, embargoes and intimidation, while crediting the US law with helping Taiwan to survive its “darkest hour” of global isolation.
“The TRA has helped create a force for good,” she said in an address from the presidential office. “It has supported Taiwan’s development of the defence capabilities that we need, to resist any form of coercion.”
Supporters say the law allowed Washington, Beijing and Taipei to navigate a perilous shift as China emerged from relative poverty and isolation to become the world’s second-largest economy and a major military and political power. That growing muscle has enabled Beijing to contain Taiwan increasingly effectively in global affairs.