FAPA Mobilizes Grassroots Petition for the “Taiwan Representative Office Act” After Two Decades of Advocacy
On March 12, the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) relaunched a nationwide campaign urging Congress to swiftly pass the bipartisan and bicameral “Taiwan Representative Office Act” (S.974 & H.R.3180). The legislation calls for renaming Taiwan’s de facto embassy from the “Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office” (TECRO) to the “Taiwan Representative Office” (TRO). FAPA has advocated for this name rectification for over two decades, leveraging grassroots advocacy to garner broad bipartisan Congressional support.
Why It Matters
The name “TECRO” misrepresents the nature of the office and understates the depth of the U.S. –Taiwan relationship. “TECRO” wrongfully implies that Taiwan’s de facto embassy only represents the city of “Taipei,” as opposed to the whole of “Taiwan” and the Taiwanese people. It also incorrectly suggests that the U.S. and Taiwan only cooperate on economic and cultural matters, even though their partnership encompasses critical security, technology, public health, and democratic interests.
“TECRO” is also inconsistent with longstanding U.S. policy and practice, which consistently refers to Taiwan simply as “Taiwan,” as reflected in the Taiwan Relations Act (1979), the Taiwan Travel Act (2018), and the name of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).
Two Decades of Advocacy and Legislative Efforts
FAPA has worked closely with Congressional offices through evolving strategies over time to secure bicameral, bipartisan support for renaming TECRO to TRO:
- 2002–2004: Under FAPA’s initiative, Members of Congress — including Reps. David Wu (D-OR), Dennis Moore (D-KS), and Congressional Taiwan Caucus co-chairs Steve Chabot (R-OH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), and Robert Wexler (D-FL), as well as Nita Lowey (D-NY) — sent letters to Taiwan’s then-President Chen Shui-bian, advocating for the name rectification of TECRO to more accurately reflect its fundamental role in representing “Taiwan” and its people.
- 2011–2014: FAPA worked with Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) to introduce and promote the comprehensive Taiwan Policy Act, which supported renaming TECRO to TRO, reaffirming the Six Assurances, and expanding high-level U.S.–Taiwan exchanges.
- 2015–2018: FAPA worked closely with then-Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Steve Chabot to advance key pro-Taiwan legislation. These efforts contributed to the 2016 passage of a concurrent resolution reaffirming the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances as the “cornerstones” of U.S.–Taiwan relations, as well as the enactment of the landmark Taiwan Travel Act in 2018.
- 2020: Under FAPA’s initiative, 78 House Members led by Congressional Taiwan Caucus co-chairs Steve Chabot and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) sent a bipartisan letter urging then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to rename TECRO to TRO.
- 2021–2024: FAPA’s renaming initiative was incorporated into the Taiwan Diplomatic Review Act (2021), introduced by Reps. Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Steve Chabot; followed by the Taiwan Policy Act (2022), introduced by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX); and the Taiwan Representative Office Act (2022 & 2023), introduced by then-Sen. Marco Rubio and then-Rep. John Curtis (R-UT).
- 2025–present: The bipartisan Taiwan Representative Office Act was reintroduced in the 119th Congress by Sens. John Curtis (R-UT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Chris Pappas (D-NH).
Implications
With former Sen. Marco Rubio — a longtime supporter of FAPA’s “TRO” name rectification — now serving as the U.S. Secretary of State, the opportunity for this name change is unprecedented.
“Renaming Taiwan’s representative office is not merely symbolic,” FAPA’s National President Dr. Su-Mei Kao emphasized. “At a time when Beijing is escalating its diplomatic pressure and military coercion against Taiwan, clarity in U.S. policy matters.” The current Congress should “pass the TRO Act this year to reinforce a consistent, credible U.S. policy that bolsters stability across the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific,” Dr. Kao concluded.
Sources:
[1] Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) [2] S.974 & H.R.3180 (Taiwan Representative Office Act) [3] FAPA [4] H.R.2479, 96th Congress (Taiwan Relations Act) [5] H.R.535, 115th Congress (Taiwan Travel Act) [6] American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) [7] S.Con.Res.38 & H.Con.Res.88, 114th Congress (A concurrent resolution reaffirming the TRA and the Six Assurances) [8] FAPA
U.S. House Bill Introduced to Bolster Taiwan’s Energy Security and Resilience
On March 9, Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) introduced the Taiwan Energy Security and Anti-Embargo Act (H.R.7873) in the U.S. House of Representatives, aiming to bolster Taiwan’s energy resilience amid escalating gray-zone coercion from China and heightened geopolitical instability.
The legislation seeks to strengthen U.S.–Taiwan energy cooperation by:
- Prioritizing U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to Taiwan and incentivizing projects aimed at diversifying and securing supply sources.
- Encouraging bilateral collaboration on advanced nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors (SMRs).
- Enhancing joint efforts to protect Taiwan’s critical energy grids and storage systems from cyber, physical, and asymmetric threats.
- Expanding the authority of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) to provide maritime war-risk insurance for vessels transporting critical energy and vital goods to Taiwan when commercial insurance options withdraw due to military threats.
Why It Matters
Taiwan’s energy security is a paramount strategic concern as global instability threatens key shipping routes. In introducing the bill, Rep. Harrigan emphasized that recent strikes in the Middle East and threats to critical chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz underscore that energy vulnerability is inherently a national security vulnerability.
Taiwan is heavily reliant on seaborne energy imports. LNG accounts for 47.8% of electricity generation, followed by coal at 35.4%, yet Taiwan maintains only approximately 11 days of LNG reserves. Major LNG suppliers include Qatar (33.7%), Australia (33.5%), and the U.S. (9.9%). Much of this supply transits sensitive waterways like the Strait of Hormuz and the South China Sea, raising concerns that conflict, blockades, or coercive pressure on suppliers could disrupt Taiwan’s energy lifeline.
Congressional Momentum
The Senate version of the Taiwan Energy Security and Anti-Embargo Act (S.2722) was introduced by Sens. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Chris Coons (D-DE) in September 2025 following a tabletop exercise that examined a hypothetical Chinese energy quarantine against Taiwan. The legislation advanced out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in January 2026 and is currently awaiting a vote on the Senate floor.
Current Developments
Taiwan has also taken proactive steps to mitigate potential energy disruptions linked to instability in the Middle East and strengthen its energy security. While the Taiwanese government stated that current LNG reserves remain sufficient for the immediate term and that contingency plans to increase coal-fired power generation are unlikely to be implemented in the next month, it appears that strategic shifts are underway.
Despite domestic political controversy, officials confirmed on March 11 that the state-run Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) will soon submit a plan this month to restart the decommissioned No. 3 (Maanshan) Nuclear Power Plant, with a goal of resuming operations as early as 2028.
Sources:
[1] Focus Taiwan [2] H.R.7873 & S.2722 (Taiwan Energy Security and Anti-Embargo Act) [3] Taipei Times [4] Office of Rep. Pat Harrigan [5] Nikkei Asia [6] Thomson Chau’s Official X Account [7] U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) [8] Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) [9] Office of Sen. Pete Ricketts [10] Taipei Times [11] Focus Taiwan
