Senators Young, Cruz, Blackburn introduce legislation to strengthen U.S.-Taiwan relations, counter CCP coercion

Senator Young's office provided this news release. 

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) joined U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in introducing the Taiwan Symbols of Sovereignty (Taiwan SOS) Act. The bill authorizes Taiwanese diplomats and service members to display their flag and wear their uniforms while in the United States on official business.

“Taiwan’s government, military, and people deserve to be treated with the same respect and recognition we afford other countries,” said Senator Young. “Our bill will strengthen U.S.-Taiwan relations and stand up to the Chinese Communist Party’s coercion.”

“The Chinese Communist Party is committed to eroding Taiwan’s global status, and the United States should be just as committed to strengthening it. The Obama administration did enormous damage to American national security when it first implemented these prohibitions against our Taiwanese allies, and I have been battling this policy ever since,” said Senator Cruz. “It was successfully overturned during the first Trump administration, before being reinstated under Biden, again to the detriment of the safety and security of Americans and our allies. There has been broad, explicit bipartisan support for rescinding these prohibitions, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has advanced this language to do so. I am confident they will do so again, and I call on my colleagues in the Senate to advance it to passage.”

“Taiwan is a sovereign nation, and the U.S. should not support Communist China’s efforts to undermine its independence by restricting Taiwanese diplomats and service members from displaying their flag,” said Senator Blackburn. “The Taiwan SOS Act would make it clear the United States firmly stands with Taiwan.”

Background:

The Taiwan SOS Act reverses guidelines originating with the Obama Administration and reinstated by the Biden Administration that prohibit the display of symbols representing Taiwan at official government events. Senator Young has previously helped introduce this legislation in 2020 and in 2022. The language was advanced by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2021.

Full text of the legislation can be found here.