Codify the Six Assurances: Ensuring U.S. Policy Consistency and Deterrence
The White House, on February 17, reiterated that U.S. policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged, following vague comments by U.S. President Donald Trump indicating that he had discussed U.S. arms sales to Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump’s comments, made aboard Air Force One on February 16, sparked intense public attention and debate regarding the Six Assurances — particularly the long-standing U.S. commitment not to consult with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on arms sales to Taiwan.
Why It Matters
The Six Assurances are a series of policy commitments made under the Reagan administration in 1982, reassuring Taiwan that the United States:
- Has not agreed to set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan;
- Has not agreed to consult with the PRC on arms sales to Taiwan;
- Will not play any mediation role between Taipei and Beijing;
- Has not agreed to revise the Taiwan Relations Act;
- Has not altered its position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan; and
- Will not exert pressure on Taiwan to enter into negotiations with the PRC.
While there have been multiple iterations of the precise wording of the Six Assurances and ongoing debate over the ambiguity surrounding the second assurance, four decades of bipartisan executive branch consistent practices and congressional actions have effectively solidified the commitments as constituting a clear “will not” mandate regarding U.S. consultation with the PRC over arms sales to Taiwan.
Congressional Attention
Prominent Democrats, including Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the CCP, expressed alarm over President Trump’s comments, raising concerns about a potential and dangerous departure from the Six Assurances.
In 2016, Congress reaffirmed the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances as the cornerstones of U.S.–Taiwan relations by passing landmark, bipartisan concurrent resolutions (S.Con.Res.38 & H.Con.Res.88) — an initiative championed by the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA). These legislative efforts were led by then-Senator and now Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R-FL) and then–Congressional Taiwan Caucus Co-Chair Steve Chabot (R-OH).
Throughout 2025 and into early 2026, FAPA worked closely with Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) to introduce and advance the Six Assurances to Taiwan Act (H.R.3452). This legislation aims to explicitly codify the Six Assurances into U.S. law and provide Congress with binding oversight authority.
Implications
In a February 19 statement, FAPA National President Dr. Su-Mei Kao urged Congress to swiftly pass the Six Assurances to Taiwan Act, stressing that codifying the assurances would strengthen deterrence amid increasing Chinese aggression and reaffirm that U.S. support for Taiwan remains firm and non-negotiable.
Phelim Kine, the D.C.-based China correspondent for Politico, noted that the controversy surrounding Trump’s remarks may spur renewed bipartisan support to codify the Six Assurances, following the introduction of the Senate companion bill (S.3208) in November 2025 by Sens. John Curtis (R-UT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).
Sources:
[1] Focus Taiwan [2] Taipei Times [3] Focus Taiwan [4] American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) [5] Congressional Research Service (CRS) [6] Rush Doshi’s official X account [7] Sen. Andy Kim’s official X account [8] House Select Committee on the CCP – Democrats [9] S.Con.Res.38 & H.Con.Res.88, 114th-congress (Resolution reaffirming the TRA and the Six Assurances) [10] House Select Committee on the CCP – Democrats [11] Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) [12] H.R.3452 (Six Assurances to Taiwan Act) [13] FAPA [14] Phelim Kine’s official X account [15] S.3208 (Six Assurances to Taiwan Act) [16] Office of Sen. John Curtis
Munich Conference Underscores Taiwan’s Critical Role in Global Security Debate
At the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) from February 13–15, Taiwan emerged as an unspoken focal point of global security discussions. Though absent from the official representation at the conference — a move criticized by German MP Till Steffen — Taiwan was nonetheless embedded in the debate at this historic, high-level transatlantic security forum founded in 1963.
During the conference, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that those “stepping on China’s red lines” regarding Taiwan could push China and the U.S. toward conflict. In response, Japan’s Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi emphasized that unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force must not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby stated during an Indo-Pacific panel that “our position on Taiwan remains the same,” while navigating questions on “tough love” regarding Taiwan’s political deadlock over its NT$1.25 trillion (nearly US$40 billion) special defense budget.
Why It Matters
Even as European leaders at the conference debated greater strategic autonomy, the Munich Security Report 2026, titled “Under Destruction,” reflected a broader strategic reality: Indo-Pacific stability has elevated Taiwan’s security beyond a regional issue. The report analyzed how Taiwan serves as a primary stress test for the international order, intertwining it firmly within both U.S. and European security calculations.
The Indo-Pacific Chapter of the report highlighted that the era of “Pax Americana” is being challenged by China’s growing military pressure, raising concerns that a Taiwan contingency could expose the limits of U.S. deterrence and alliance credibility in the region.
Transnational Alignment
Amid the lively debates at the MSC, members of the U.S. Congress have continued efforts to embed Taiwan’s security within a broader transatlantic framework, encouraging greater European coordination to deter China’s aggression.
- The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) was founded in 2020 as a cross-party transnational network of legislators, with then-U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), now U.S. Secretary of State, and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) serving as the U.S. co-chairs at its launch. IPAC continues to be a pivotal platform for coordinating international legislative support for Taiwan and challenging Beijing’s intentional misuse and distortion of U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758.
- In 2024, Sens. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the Building Options for the Lasting Security of Taiwan through European Resolve (BOLSTER) Act (S.4433) to enhance U.S.-Europe cooperation in strengthening Taiwan’s security and international presence. The provisions of the legislation were later incorporated into the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and subsequently enacted into law.
Implications
MSC 2026 highlighted a shift toward calibrated realism in alliance management. While U.S. policy toward Taiwan remains officially unchanged, expectations regarding burden-sharing are clearer. For Taiwan, strengthening self-defense — including resolving the current special budget impasse in the Legislative Yuan — and deepening engagement with Europe on “de-risking” and security architecture will be critical as global security discussions continue to evolve beyond traditional regional boundaries.
Sources:
[1] 2026 Munich Security Conference [2] German MP Till Steffen’s official X account [3] Reuters [4] Japan Times [5] Domino Theory [6] Reuters [7] Munich Security Report 2026, Chapter 3 – Indo-Pacific: Pact or Fiction? [8] The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) [9] S.4433, 118th Congress (BOLSTER Act) [10] Taiwan News