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Sen. Cruz, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Rescind Prohibitions on Taiwanese Sovereignty Displays

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined by Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), introduced The Taiwan Symbols of Sovereignty (Taiwan SOS) Act. This bill authorizes Taiwanese diplomats and servicemembers in the Taiwanese military to display their flag and wear their uniforms while in the United States on official business.

Sen. Cruz said, “The Chinese Communist Party is committed to eroding Taiwan’s global status, and the United States should be just as committed to strengthening it. The Obama administration did enormous damage to American national security when it first implemented these prohibitions against our Taiwanese allies, and I have been battling this policy ever since. It was successfully overturned during the first Trump administration, before being reinstated under Biden, again to the detriment of the safety and security of Americans and our allies. There has been broad, explicit bipartisan support for rescinding these prohibitions, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has advanced this language to do so. I am confident they will do so again, and I call on my colleagues in the Senate to advance it to passage.”

Sen. Young said, “Taiwan’s government, military, and people deserve to be treated with the same respect and recognition we afford other countries. Our bill will strengthen U.S.-Taiwan relations and stand up to the Chinese Communist Party’s coercion.”

Sen. Blackburn said, “Taiwan is a sovereign nation, and the U.S. should not support Communist China’s efforts to undermine its independence by restricting Taiwanese diplomats and service members from displaying their flag. The Taiwan SOS Act would make it clear the United States firmly stands with Taiwan.”

Read the bill text here.

BACKGROUND

This legislation reverses guidelines originating with the Obama administration and reinstated by the Biden administration that prohibit the display of Taiwanese symbols of sovereignty at official government functions. Senator Cruz has previously introduced this legislation in 2020 in the 116th Congress and in 2022 in the 117th Congress. The language was advanced by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2021.

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