Bennet, Merkley, Curtis, Kaine, Ricketts Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Taiwan’s Diplomatic Partners in Latin America and the Caribbean

Aug 1, 2025|Press Releases
Denver— U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) to introduce the United States-Taiwan Partnership in the Americas Act, bipartisan legislation to support Taiwan and its diplomatic partners in Latin America and the Caribbean and to deepen U.S. engagement in the Western Hemisphere.
The United States-Taiwan Partnership in the Americas Act comes as China ratchets up military and diplomatic aggression against Taiwan, including by pressuring Taiwan’s remaining partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to sever diplomatic ties with the island.
“Taiwan is a crucial U.S. partner standing at the forefront of our shared fight for democracy,”said Bennet.“As China escalates pressure against Taiwan and its partners, our bipartisan bill will bolster crucial U.S. support for Taiwan and its diplomatic partners in the Western Hemisphere.”
“As longstanding partners, the United States and Taiwan share a strong commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and human rights,”said Merkley.“China’s campaign to bully countries into abandoning Taiwan is part of its broader effort to reshape the global order through coercion and backroom deals. This bipartisan bill pushes back by supporting governments that choose to maintain ties with Taiwan and makes clear that every nation should be free to choose its partners without fear of retribution from Beijing.”
“As Chair of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, I’ve made it a priority to counter China’s growing influence and to support Taiwan’s democratic partners in our region,”said Curtis.“This bill ensures the United States is not only monitoring China’s coercive tactics, but actively responding with transparency, accountability, and strategic coordination. It sends a clear message: we stand with our allies, and we will not allow authoritarian pressure to dictate the choices of sovereign nations.”
“As China expands its reach around the world, it’s critical to U.S. national security that we prioritize strengthening alliances between our democratic partners,”said Kaine.“The Western Hemisphere has long been a bastion of support for Taiwan, and I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan bill to support countries in our hemisphere in maintaining and deepening their official diplomatic relations with Taipei.”
“Communist China would like nothing more than to force unification without war. That’s why one of Beijing’s key objectives is to isolate Taiwan diplomatically through economic statecraft and coercion,”said Ricketts.“Latin American and Caribbean countries represent over half of Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic allies. The United States-Taiwan Partnership in the Americas Act will ensure these critical relations endure.”
The United States-Taiwan Partnership in the Americas Act would:
Bennet and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.)leadthe Americas Act, the only major strategic economic plan to counter China’s geopolitical and economic influence in the Western Hemisphere.
Bennet has also long advocated for stronger U.S.-Taiwan ties amid increasing pressure from China. In recent months, Bennet joined bipartisan, bicameral colleagues to introduce legislation tosupportTaiwan’s international standing,streamlineU.S. arms sales to Taiwan, andstrengthenthe State Department’s Taiwan strategy.
Additionally, Bennet played a leading role in securing the April 2024passageof the national security aid package, which included $8.13 billion for Indo-Pacific partners such as Taiwan.
The text of the bill is availableHERE.
Write to Michael
Get Help with a Federal Agency
Visiting DC
©2024 U.S. Senate. All Rights Reserved.  |Privacy Policy