Sens. Curtis and Merkley Introduce Bill to Rename TECRO as the“Taiwan Representative Office” (TRO)
On March 12, U.S. Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the bipartisan “Taiwan Representative Office Act” (S.974), seeking to rename Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the U.S. from the “Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office” (TECRO) to the “Taiwan Representative Office” (TRO) to better reflect the reality that it represents the people of Taiwan.
If enacted, the bill requires all U.S. government documents, laws, maps, and records to replace references to TECRO with TRO.
“This legislation underscores the United States’ commitment to Taiwan’s democracy and enhances clarity in the U.S.-Taiwan relationship,” according to a press release issued by Senator John Curtis on March 12.
The statement noted that the original choice to use “Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” in TECRO’s name was intended to avoid “offending” China.
“The United States shouldn’t tolerate pressure from China to undermine the Taiwanese people,” Curtis said. Instead, the U.S. “should stand by its democratic allies and friends around the world facing pressure and coercion from authoritarian regimes.”
“By renaming TECRO as the Taiwan Representative Office, our bill acknowledges the reality that this office represents the people of Taiwan, not just the economic interests of the city of Taipei,” he added.
Meanwhile, in the press release, Senator Jeff Merkley emphasized that “this bipartisan bill demonstrates the United States’ longstanding commitment to supporting Taiwan by properly recognizing Taiwan’s status.”
“We must continue to send a strong message that the United States will use all resources at our disposal to foster healthy, robust relationships with our democratic partners, including Taiwan,” Merkley added.
FAPA President Su-Mei Kao stated: “FAPA has long championed the effort to rename the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) to the Taiwan Representative Office (TRO) to more accurately reflect Taiwan’s identity and status. For decades, FAPA has actively called for this change and worked closely with members of Congress to introduce legislation advancing this cause.”
[1] Sen. John Curtis’ Office
[2] Focus Taiwan
[3] Taipei Times
U.S. Slams China’s Misuse of UN Resolution 2758 as Coercion Against Taiwan
On March 7, the U.S. Department of State condemned China’s “intentional misuse and mischaracterization of UNGA Resolution 2758,” calling it part of “China’s broader coercive efforts to isolate Taiwan from the international community.”
A State Department spokesperson emphasized that United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 “puts no limits on any country’s sovereign choice to engage substantively with Taiwan” and “does not preclude Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the United Nations system and other multilateral fora.”
The remarks were in response to a request from Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) for comments on Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s invocation of the UN resolution 2758 to assert Beijing’s territorial claims over Taiwan during a news conference earlier that day.
At a press conference in Beijing for the third session of the 14th National People’s Congress — the most important annual gathering for China’s legislature and top government advisory body — Wang claimed that the UN resolution had “addressed the issue of representation for all of China, including Taiwan, in the United Nations.”
In Taipei, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued a press release strongly denouncing Wang’s “false claims” and accusing China of attempting to deceive and mislead the international community.
MOFA emphasized that UNGA Resolution 2758 does not authorize the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to represent Taiwan or the Taiwanese people in the UN and its specialized agencies.
The ministry urged the international community to “oppose China’s repeated misrepresentation of UNGA Resolution 2758.”
Adopted by the 26th UN General Assembly in 1971, UN Resolution 2758 resolved the question of “China’s representation” in the UN system by recognizing the representatives of the PRC government as “the only lawful representatives of China to the United Nations.”
However, the resolution did not address the issue of “Taiwan’s representation” in the UN system, nor did it determine Taiwan’s legal or future status. In fact, the resolution does not mention Taiwan at all.
In recent years, academics, the U.S. State Department, and U.S. Congress have repeatedly stated that China is distorting and misusing UNGA Resolution 2758 to falsely claim sovereignty over Taiwan and further isolate Taiwan from the international community.
