Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, together with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), and Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), have written to Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, urging her administration to establish sister city ties with Taipei, Taiwan.
In their letter, the lawmakers stated, "We write to urge you and your administration to establish sister city ties with Taipei. Congress, and the city of Washington, D.C., have long played a leading role in U.S.-Taiwan relations, and the greater Washington metropolitan area is home to one of the largest Taiwanese American populations in the country."
They further elaborated on their position by stating, "It will send a clear message that we will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to dictate who we call our friends. We understand that there may be those in the international community who would object to this measure, however, the United States should never allow the threat of verbal retaliation and rebuke to dictate our actions. Allowing fear of others’ reactions to determine our policy would only reaffirm said parties’ belief that intimidation is an effective tool of statecraft.”
Despite Washington D.C.'s longstanding sister city relationship with Beijing since 1984 — despite well-documented human rights abuses by the Chinese Communist Party — these lawmakers believe it's time for a similar relationship with Taiwan’s capital city of Taipei. They argue that such a move would counteract attempts by the Chinese Communist Party to isolate Taiwan internationally and demonstrate America's strong relationship with Taiwan.
The full text of lawmakers' letter can be viewed HERE.
