U.S. lawmakers push to rename Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Washington

By Michael Martina

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers proposed matching payments within the Senate and Home of Representatives on Thursday that will require america to barter the renaming of Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Washington because the “Taiwan Consultant Workplace,” a transfer sure to rankle China.

It’s at present referred to as the Taipei Financial and Cultural Consultant Workplace (TECRO), utilizing the title of the island’s capital metropolis.

Ought to the measures develop into legislation, any change within the workplace’s title may present cowl to smaller nations to take comparable steps to spice up engagement with Taiwan, which China claims as its personal territory.

It could additionally be sure to create a brand new rift in U.S.-China relations, already at their lowest level in a long time as Washington seeks to push again in opposition to what it sees as Beijing’s rising financial and army coercion.

America, like most nations, doesn’t have official ties with democratically ruled Taiwan, however is its largest worldwide backer.

The payments direct the Secretary of State to “search to enter into negotiations” with TECRO to rename its workplace because the “Taiwan Consultant Workplace.”

Republican Senator Marco Rubio and the Democratic chairman of the Senate Overseas Relations Committee Bob Menendez sponsored the Senate invoice, with Republican John Curtis and Democrat Chris Pappas main on the Home model.

“The U.S. should clarify that, regardless of all efforts by the Chinese language Communist Occasion to intimidate and coerce Taiwan, hostile powers haven’t any proper to say sovereignty over democratic nations,” Rubio mentioned.

Menendez informed Reuters the payments had been in step with the Taiwan Relations Act defining america’ unofficial ties with Taiwan, and display Washington’s help for Taiwan “to find out its personal future.”

“We should take this step to strengthen our diplomatic partnership with Taiwan and counter China’s repeated makes an attempt to threaten and coerce nations across the globe,” Pappas mentioned.

The White Home and U.S. State Division and China’s embassy in Washington didn’t reply instantly to requests for remark.

China chafes at any worldwide references to Taiwan it sees as suggesting the island is its personal nation.

It downgraded its diplomatic relations with Lithuania and pressed multinationals to sever ties with the nation after Taiwan opened an workplace in Vilnius final yr referred to as the Taiwanese Consultant Workplace in Lithuania.

Beijing, which has by no means renounced using drive to make sure eventual unification with Taiwan, calls the island’s standing essentially the most delicate situation in U.S.-China relations and the premise for ties between the 2 superpowers.

(Reporting by Michael Martina; Enhancing by Mary Milliken and David Gregorio)