For Immediate Release
Washington, D.C. – March 12, 2026
Contact: 202-547-3686

FAPA Drives the “Taiwan Representative Office Act” Forward After Two Decades of Renaming Advocacy

Today, March 12, 2026, marks one year since the bipartisan Taiwan Representative Office Act (S.974) was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate. The bill directs the Secretary of State to seek negotiations to rename Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the United States from the “Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office” (TECRO) to the “Taiwan Representative Office” (TRO). The House companion bill, H.R.3180, was subsequently introduced on May 5, 2025.

Today, the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) is relaunching a nationwide petition campaign urging Congress to pass the Taiwan Representative Office Act before the end of this Congress. FAPA calls on Members of both chambers to pass this critical legislation forward so it can reach the President’s desk this year.

“FAPA has advocated for the name ‘Taiwan’ to be clearly and accurately recognized in U.S. policy and official practice for more than two decades. We continue to prioritize this issue because names carry profound policy meaning,” said FAPA National President Dr. Su-Mei Kao (林素梅). “From early support letters to current standalone legislation, we have worked closely with Members of Congress to shape the legislative approach and advance this effort. Beyond renaming the office, the Taiwan Representative Office Act reaffirms consistency with the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances, while calling for de facto diplomatic treatment for the people of Taiwan.”

The current name “TECRO” is misleading. It wrongly implies that the office represents only the city of “Taipei” rather than the whole of “Taiwan” and its people. It also understates the scope of U.S.–Taiwan cooperation, which extends far beyond “economic and cultural” ties to include security, technology, public health, and a robust democratic partnership. Moreover, the term “TECRO” is inconsistent with longstanding U.S. policy and practice, which consistently refers to Taiwan simply as “Taiwan,” as reflected in the Taiwan Relations Act, the Taiwan Travel Act, and the name of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).

“Renaming Taiwan’s representative office is not merely symbolic,” Dr. Kao added. “At a time when Beijing is escalating its diplomatic pressure and military coercion against Taiwan, clarity in U.S. policy matters. The name rectification from TECRO to ‘Taiwan Representative Office’ (TRO) would better reflect the reality of U.S.–Taiwan relations and send a clear message to the world about the depth of U.S. support for its democratic allies.”

Over 20 Years of Advocacy and Legislative Effort

For more than two decades, FAPA has steadily advanced the effort to rename TECRO as the Taiwan Representative Office, building bipartisan support and refining its legislative strategy over time.

• 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 congressional letters to Taiwan’s then-President Chen Shui-bian supporting the renaming to reflect the office’s fundamental nature as 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 included provisions supporting the renaming of TECRO to TRO, reaffirming the Six Assurances, and expanding high-level U.S.–Taiwan exchanges.

• 2015–2018: FAPA shifted from advocating for omnibus Taiwan legislation to focusing on targeted, standalone bills, working closely with then-Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Steve Chabot to advance key pro-Taiwan legislation. These efforts contributed to Congress’s 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 as the Taiwan Representative Office.

• 2021–2024: The renaming initiative was incorporated into multiple Taiwan-related bills, beginning with 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), which specifically directs negotiations to rename TECRO as the Taiwan Representative Office.

• 2025–present: FAPA continued to support legislative efforts across multiple Congresses, leading to the reintroduction of the Taiwan Representative Office Act, S.974 and H.R.3180, in the 119th Congress by Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) and Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE).

“Over the past twenty years, support for this name rectification has grown stronger with each Congress. With former Senator Marco Rubio — a long-time champion of the ‘Taiwan Representative Office’ renaming effort — now serving as the U.S. Secretary of State, now is the time to finish this name change,” FAPA National President Su-Mei Kao said. She called on supporters nationwide to join the renewed petition campaign and urge their Members of Congress to decisively advance the Taiwan Representative Office Act. “The path forward is clear: pass the TRO Act this year and reinforce a consistent, credible U.S. policy that bolsters stability across the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific.”

倡議正名二十載：FAPA 全力促成《台灣代表處法》完成立法

2026 年 3 月 12 日，適逢跨黨派《台灣代表處法》（Taiwan Representative Office Act, S.974）於美國參議院重新提案屆滿一年。該法案明文要求美國國務卿尋求與台灣駐美代表處進行協商，將台灣在美國的「事實上大使館」名稱，從「台北經濟文化代表處」（Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, TECRO）正名為「台灣代表處」（Taiwan Representative Office, TRO）。眾議院對應版本 H.R.3180 隨後於 2025 年 5 月 5 日提出。

如今，台灣人公共事務會（FAPA）重新發起全美請願行動，呼籲美國參眾兩院議員在此第 119 屆國會順利通過《台灣代表處法》，使其能在今年底前送交美國總統簽署生效。

「二十多年來，FAPA 持續倡議讓『台灣』之名在美國政策及官方實踐中被清楚且準確地使用。我們始終將此正名議題列為優先，是因為名稱本身承載著深刻的政策意涵，」FAPA 總會長林素梅博士表示。「從早期推動美國國會支持信函到如今的單獨立法，FAPA 與美國國會議員長期密切合作，共同形塑立法策略並推動此項倡議。《台灣代表處法》不僅推動正名，也重申美國對台政策應與《台灣關係法》及『六項保證』保持一致，並主張應為台灣人民提供『事實上的外交待遇』（de facto diplomatic treatment）。」

目前「台北經濟文化代表處」（TECRO）的名稱極易造成誤導。它錯誤地暗示該機構僅代表「台北」市，而非整體「台灣」及台灣人民。此外，它也低估了美台合作的的範疇 —— 美台關係早已超越「經濟文化」領域，涵蓋了安全、科技、公共衛生及堅實的民主夥伴關係。再者，「TECRO」一詞亦與美國長期政策與官方實踐不符；正如《台灣關係法》、《台灣旅行法》以及「美國在台協會」（American Institute in Taiwan, AIT）所反映的，美國官方一貫直接以「台灣」稱呼台灣。

「正名台灣駐美代表處不僅具有象徵意義，」林會長補充道。「在中國不斷升高對台外交打壓與軍事威脅之際，美國對台政策的清晰度至關重要。將  TECRO 正名為『台灣代表處』（TRO），將更準確反映美台關係的現實，並向國際社會清楚傳達美國對民主盟友的堅定支持。」

二十多年的倡議與立法推動

二十多年來，FAPA 持續堅定推動台灣駐美代表處的正名運動，並不斷累積跨黨派支持，同時調整精進其立法策略。

• 2002–2004 年：在 FAPA 的發起下，多位美國國會議員致函時任台灣總統陳水扁，表達支持將 TECRO 正名為「台灣代表處」，以更準確反映該機構代表「台灣」及其人民的本質。參與致函者包括：眾議員吳振偉（David Wu, D-OR）、眾議員摩爾（Dennis Moore, D-KS），以及「國會台灣連線」共同主席夏波（Steve Chabot, R-OH）、布朗（Sherrod Brown, D-OH）、羅拉巴克（Dana Rohrabacher, R-CA）、魏克斯勒（Robert Wexler, D-FL），另包括眾議員蘿伊（Nita Lowey, D-NY）等多位議員。

• 2011–2014 年：FAPA 與眾議員羅斯蕾緹南（Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-FL）合作，提出並推動全面的《台灣政策法》（Taiwan Policy Act），其中包括支持將 TECRO 正名為 TRO、重申「六項保證」以及擴大美台高層交流等重要條款。

• 2015–2018 年：FAPA 的立法策略從倡導大型綜合性法案轉為聚焦於較具可行性的單一法案，並與時任參議員盧比歐（Marco Rubio, R-FL）及眾議員夏波密切合作，推動多項關鍵友台立法。這些努力促成美國國會於 2016 年通過一項共同決議案，確認《台灣關係法》與「六項保證」為美台關係的「基石」（cornerstones），並於 2018 年通過具有里程碑意義的《台灣旅行法》（Taiwan Travel Act）。

• 2020 年：在 FAPA 的推動下，由國會台灣連線共同主席夏波與迪馬里（Mario Diaz-Balart, R-FL）領銜，共 78 名眾議員聯署致函時任美國國務卿蓬佩奧（Mike Pompeo），敦促將 TECRO 正名為「台灣代表處」。

• 2021–2024 年：正名倡議被納入多項友台法案，包括 2021 年由眾議員薛曼（Brad Sherman, D-CA）與夏波提出的《台灣外交檢討法》（Taiwan Diplomatic Review Act）；2022 年由參議員梅南德茲（Robert Menendez, D-NJ）與眾議員麥考爾（Michael McCaul, R-TX）提出的《台灣政策法》；以及 2022 年與 2023 年由時任參議員盧比歐與時任眾議員匡希恆（John Curtis, R-UT）提出的《台灣代表處法》，該法案明確要求國務卿進行協商，以將「台北經濟文化代表處」正名為「台灣代表處」。

• 2025 年至今：FAPA 持續推動相關立法，促成參議員匡希恆與眾議員培根（Don Bacon, R-NE）於第 119 屆美國國會再次提出《台灣代表處法》（974 及 H.R.3180）。

「過去二十多年來，美國國會對此項正名運動的支持持續增強。如今，長期支持『台灣代表處』 正名倡議的前參議員盧比歐已出任美國國務卿，現在正是完成此項正名的關鍵時刻，」FAPA 總會長林素梅表示。她呼籲全美各地的支持者參與新一輪的請願行動，敦促其選區的美國國會議員共同推動《台灣代表處法》。「前進的方向已十分明確：亦即在今年通過《台灣代表處法》，以強化一貫且可信的美國對台政策，並藉此進一步鞏固台海與印太地區的穩定，」林會長強調。

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