Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Utah’s U.S. Senator John Curtis, Virginia’s U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, and Nebraska’s U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts today introduced bipartisan legislation to support Taiwan and its diplomatic partners in Latin America and the Caribbean and to deepen U.S. engagement in the Western Hemisphere.
El United States-Taiwan Partnership in the Americas Act comes as Taiwan faces increasing military and diplomatic aggression from the People’s Republic of China, which has pressured Taiwan’s remaining partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to sever diplomatic ties with the East Asian democracy.
“As longstanding partners, the United States and Taiwan share a strong commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and human rights,” dijo Merkley. “China’s campaign to bully countries into abandoning Taiwan is part of its broader effort to reshape the global order through coercion and backroom deals. This bipartisan bill pushes back by supporting governments that choose to maintain ties with Taiwan and makes clear that every nation should be free to choose its partners without fear of retribution from Beijing.”
“As Chair of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, I’ve made it a priority to counter China’s growing influence and to support Taiwan’s democratic partners in our region,” said Curtis. “This bill ensures the United States is not only monitoring China’s coercive tactics, but actively responding with transparency, accountability, and strategic coordination. It sends a clear message: we stand with our allies, and we will not allow authoritarian pressure to dictate the choices of sovereign nations.”
“As China expands its reach around the world, it’s critical to U.S. national security that we prioritize strengthening alliances between our democratic partners,” dijo Kaine. “The Western Hemisphere has long been a bastion of support for Taiwan, and I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan bill to support countries in our hemisphere in maintaining and deepening their official diplomatic relations with Taipei.”
“Communist China would like nothing more than to force unification without war. That’s why one of Beijing’s key objectives is to isolate Taiwan diplomatically through economic statecraft and coercion,” said Ricketts. “Latin American and Caribbean countries represent over half of Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic allies. The United States-Taiwan Partnership in the Americas Act will ensure these critical relations endure.”
El United States-Taiwan Partnership in the Americas Act haría:
- Affirm U.S. policy to support countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
- Establish a mechanism to monitor and respond to China-backed infrastructure and development projects in Taiwan’s diplomatic partners, which often lack transparency, deliver poor results, and undermine local economies.
- Require regular reporting to Congress on China’s pressure tactics and U.S. efforts to support Taiwan’s partners.
- Encourage deeper U.S.–Taiwan coordination in the region, including through joint development efforts, public diplomacy, and collaboration between U.S. embassies and Taiwan’s representative offices.
Previously, Merkley and Curtis introduced the Ley de refuerzo de las relaciones con Taiwán to reaffirm U.S. policy to support Taiwan’s democracy and engagement with the world. As a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and past Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), Merkley has led the charge this week to introduce bipartisan legislation to hold the Chinese government accountable for its genocide against Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples and oppose all acts of transnational repression.
Texto completo de la United States-Taiwan Partnership in the Americas Act can be found by clicking aquí.
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