“April 10, 2024, marks the 45th anniversary of the enactment of the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). Together with President Ronald Reagan’s 1982 Six Assurances, the TRA is the cornerstone of U.S.-Taiwan relations. If it were not for the TRA, Taiwan would not be the free, sovereign, and independent country that it is today,” says FAPA Executive Director Chiao-Yun Hsiao.
Enacted on April 10, 1979, the TRA (Public Law 96–8, H.R. 2479, 93 Stat. 14) is an Act of the United States Congress, signed by the President. Since its enactment, the Act has defined the official and substantial relations between the U.S. and Taiwan.
This year, on April 10, FAPA is running a full-page ad in the Washington Times newspaper headlined, “The TRA has been the cornerstone of U.S.-Taiwan relations for 45 years, keeping Taiwan sovereign and independent amid China’s growing aggression and threats.”
The ad then juxtaposes how, since the 1979 enactment of the TRA, the U.S. has been crucial in keeping Taiwan free, such as rejecting China’s baseless claims over Taiwan, supporting a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait relations, opposing unilateral changes to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, helping maintain Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, supporting Taiwan’s inclusion in international organizations, and providing Taiwan with weapons for its self-defense.
On the other hand, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) does whatever lies in its capacity to isolate Taiwan internationally, threatens to annex Taiwan, falsely claims Taiwan as its territory, poaches Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, and is preparing its military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027.
The ad then calls upon Congress to take three important actions for the near future: (1) rename the unofficial Taiwan “Embassy” in Washington, D.C., the “Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office” to “Taiwan Representative Office”; (2) conclude a U.S.-Taiwan bilateral trade agreement; and (3) move toward establishing U.S.-Taiwan diplomatic relations.
FAPA President Su-Mei Kao, Ph.D., adds: “In our ad, we are pointing out how critical the U.S. is for Taiwan and how China’s aggressive bullying flies in the face of the interests of the 24 million people of Taiwan. The choice is clear: If you love Taiwan, you appreciate the United States.”
Dr. Kao concludes: “All 535 House and Senate offices receive a complimentary copy of the Washington Times and so do the State Department, the Pentagon and other government agencies. So, this ad will reach the exact decision makers that we want to reach.”
On April 10, FAPA is also kicking off an “Independence” photo contest. The campaign reads: “With Taiwan being a sovereign and independent country today, it is time for us to celebrate this proud historic achievement and status with a FAPA photo contest.”
“We are looking for your photo with the word ‘Independence’ appearing in it somewhere; a photo that represents and celebrates the status of Taiwan today.”
“Winners will be announced on July 4, on the U.S. Independence Day.”
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《台灣關係法》是一項出至於美國國會的法案，於1979年4月10日卡特總統簽署正式生效。該法案明確奠定了美國與台灣之間的實質關係。
FAPA執行長蕭喬勻 (Chiao-Yun Hsiao)表示：「2024年4月10日 是《台灣關係法》立法滿45周年的日子。《台灣關係法》，連同雷根總統1982年的《六項保證》，是台美關係的基石。倘若《台灣關係法》不存在，今天的台灣就不可能是一個自由、有主權和獨立的國家。」
為慶祝《台灣關係法》45周年，FAPA決定於今年4月10日在《華盛頓時報》報紙刊登全版廣告，標題為：「《台灣關係法》成為台美關係的基石已有45年，為它的存在，台灣在中國不斷增長的侵略和威脅下，仍然能夠維持其主權和獨立。」
廣告指出《台灣關係法》自1979年生效以來，美國如何協助保障台灣的自由。例如拒絕中國對台灣的無理主張、支持兩岸關係的和平解決、反對任何單方面改變台灣海峽現狀的動作、幫助鞏固台灣的外交、支持台灣加入國際組織以及提供防衛型武器，以助台灣提升其自衛能力。
反觀，中國卻盡其所能孤立台灣、在國際上威脅要吞併台灣、謊稱台灣為其領土、刻意拉攏台灣的外交盟友、並預計在2027年前做好入侵台灣的準備。
FAPA的廣告更呼籲美國國會採取三項重要行動：一、將位於華府的「駐美台北經濟文化代表處」更名為 「台灣代表處」；二、簽署美台雙邊貿易協議；三、向台美建交邁進。
FAPA總會長林素梅(Dr. Su-Mei Kao)補充道：「我們的廣告，指出了美國對台灣的重要性，以及中國侵略性的霸凌行為如何違背了台灣2400萬人的權益。 這是一個再清楚不過的選擇：『如果你愛台灣，你就會感激美國』。」
林會長總結道：「眾議院和參議院的535個辦公室都會免費收到《華盛頓時報》，國務院、五角大廈和其他政府機構也是如此。如此一來，這則廣告將觸及到我們想要的決策者。」
4月10日當天，FAPA的「獨立」攝影比賽，也將正式起跑。
活動宣傳：「鑒於台灣今天是一個主權獨立的國家，我們希望透過攝影比賽，來慶祝這個值得我們自豪的歷史成就和地位。」
「我們歡迎顯示含有『獨立』字樣並能彰顯台灣精神與國際地位的作品。」
「得獎者將在美國獨立紀念日7月4日公佈。」
