Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

In recent months, both chambers of the US Congress have passed the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and the “six assurances” as cornerstones of US-Taiwan relations.

The “six assurances,” which were given to Taiwan by then-US president Ronald Reagan in July 1982, are US pledges not to set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan, not to hold prior consultation with China on the sales of specific weapons systems, not to play a mediation role between Taiwan and China, not to pressure Taiwan to enter into negotiations with China, not to revise the Taiwan Relations Act, and not to change the US position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan (ie, not to accept China’s claim of sovereignty over Taiwan).

After becoming the first female president of Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is tomorrow expected to become the first president to apologize to the nation’s Aborigines. Let us hope that it is not just an apology, but the beginning of a series of actions to make up for the wrongs that all of the governments that have ruled over Taiwan have committed.