Paul Ryan heads for Taipei to mark 40 years of informal US-Taiwan relations
- Former US House speaker will lead large delegation in show of support for self-ruled island on key anniversary of Taiwan Relations Act
- Relations between Washington and Taipei have grown closer since US President Donald Trump took office in 2016
Former US House speaker Paul Ryan will lead a 26-member delegation to Taiwan on Monday to mark the anniversary of American legislation which has regulated relations between Washington and Taipei for the past 40 years.
The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) was enacted on April 10, 1979 by then-president Jimmy Carter after Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. The TRA outlines US military and trade support for the self-ruled island.
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Washington’s de facto embassy in Taipei, said Ryan would attend a ceremony and reception on Monday at its new office complex, as well as a series of events which kick off next week to mark the passage of the act.
The visit is a show of support for the self-ruled island and was announced a day after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen spoke via video link to three prominent US think tanks in Washington, seeking assurances of continued American backing for Taiwan’s defence.
Tsai said that, because of the TRA, the US had played a significant role in helping Taiwan counter persistent coercion from Beijing over the years.
The AIT was established as a low-key office to represent US interests in Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic ties. It has expanded over the years to become a high-profile de facto embassy.
Relations between Washington and Taipei have grown closer since US President Donald Trump assumed office in 2016 and adopted an Indo-Pacific strategy – to counter Beijing’s expansionism in the region – as part of his “America First” policy.
Trump has approved two batches of multimillion US dollar arms sales to Taiwan since 2017 and the two sides are negotiating a costly deal for the sale of 66 F-16V fighter jets for Taiwan, which could be approved by the US in July, according to Taiwan Defence Minister Yen De-fa.
Speaking in Beijing on Wednesday, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, reiterated Beijing’s firm opposition to official and military ties between the US and Taiwan.
“We oppose any form of military exercises and the development of military relations between the US and Taiwan. This position is consistent and clear,” Ma said when asked to comment on media reports that the US planned to deploy air defence missiles in Taiwan.
Ryan, 49, served as the 54th speaker of the US House of Representatives from October 2015 to January 2019, and was the 2012 Republican Party vice-presidential nominee, running unsuccessfully alongside Mitt Romney.
He will be accompanied to Taiwan by four House members, as well as former and incumbent US government officials. They include AIT chairman Jim Moriarty, principal deputy assistant administrator for environmental protection Jane Nishida, deputy assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs David Meale, and Jim Heller, director of the Office of Taiwan Coordination at the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
