US lawmakers are ramping up efforts to deepen travel and trade ties with Taiwan, as cross-strait tensions flare over alleged Chinese espionage and naval incidents and anxieties grow in Taiwan about its partnership with the US.
It would also require a feasibility study of a pre-clearance facility in Taiwan to allow travellers to clear US customs before departing the island – which, if established, would mark a first for the US in the Indo-Pacific region.
“As Xi Jinping continues to isolate Taiwan from the outside world, strengthening economic engagement is a win-win for our Taiwanese friends and for American jobs and national security,” Kim said on Friday in a statement announcing the bill.
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat who is a co-sponsor, said the legislation would strengthen “Taiwan’s resistance to economic coercion” by Beijing.
“By expanding people-to-people ties with Taiwan, we can build a more vibrant US-Taiwan relationship and ensure greater security in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate in February by Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, and Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii.
