Written by Yi-Ting Chung.
Image credit: North American Taiwan Studies Association.
Taiwan stands at the frontier of a turbulent world. In 2020, a deadly global pandemic revealed the world’s vulnerabilities to health crises, dependency on China’s supply chains, and reliance on Taiwan-produced advanced semiconductor chips. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine became a wake-up call for Western democracies and Taiwan, a solemn reminder that the threat of authoritarian expansionism is never too far from home.
Today, US-Taiwan relations are at their historical best. However, as events of the past few years demonstrate, Taiwan cannot afford to be complacent. China’s territorial ambitions toward Taiwan and the East and South China Seas have not diminished. As advocates of Taiwan, we also cannot afford to be silent. Therefore, at the 2024 NATSA conference, we collaborated with the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) to discuss how they conduct grassroots advocacy to effect policy change. The staff and members of FAPA also share their observations of recent political trends and explain how anyone can help strengthen US-Taiwan relations and expand Taiwan’s international space.
The three presenters, representing both FAPA headquarters and its regional divisions, were Jenny Li (Policy Associate, FAPA), Chi-An Wang (Regional Director, FAPA New York Metro Chapter), and Chia-Chun Chung (National Vice President, FAPA). Also in the audience were other FAPA staff, including its current Executive Director, Chiao-Yun Anny Hsiao and President Su-Mei Kao. Together, we focused on how to advocate for Taiwan in an increasingly polarised domestic political environment.
Building Community and Enhancing US-Taiwan Friendship
Jenny began by sharing her observations on historical developments in US-Taiwan relations. In contrast to the common belief that it is usually the Republican Party that shows support for Taiwan, Jenny clarified that the US congressional support for Taiwan has long been bipartisan. In fact, if we look at recent history, she pointed out, it was mostly the Democrat members of Congress voicing for Taiwanese democracy during the White Terror period. Through the chart that documented the number of Taiwan-related bills and Congressional delegations to Taiwan over the past four decades, it is clear that US support for Taiwan has not only been stable but has experienced a recent surge since 2020. But many factors, Jenny remarked, such as domestic politics in Taiwan and the US, misaligned interests and priorities on both sides, and American scepticism theory, pose challenges to the strength of the US-Taiwan friendship.
While Jenny delineated FAPA’s effort to clarify some common misconceptions, Chi-An, as the regional director, turned the focus to the importance of community building and connecting with local elected officials as ways to enforce community ties. Chi-An shared his recent experiences in community building in New York City, where this year’s NATSA conference was held. Tapping into the energy of Taiwanese youth in NYC, he focused his efforts on hosting social events such as happy hours and a FAPA booth at the annual Passport to Taiwan event. In addition to community building, he also shared some of his experiences in congressional advocacy, including meeting US Senator Chuck Schumer of New York. He concluded by outlining their future goals, which include strengthening relationships not only with US senators and representatives, but also with Ukraine and Hong Kong advocacy groups to build more robust connections to diverse members of the NYC community and strengthen solidarity.
Finally, Chia-Chun, as the current Vice President of FAPA, elaborated on Jenny’s observations and resonated with Chi-An to share some of her aspirations for the future of US-Taiwan relations and Taiwanese American advocacy. To ensure high impact, grassroots advocacy must be effective, efficient, and scalable. Effectiveness requires tailored advocacy and adjustments on the level of symbolic vs. practical items that we advocate for. Efficiency means prioritising advocacy toward members of Congress according to their committee assignments, connections with Taiwan, and the amount of engagement that FAPA chapters have had with them. Scalable means increasing cooperation between chapters and headquarters, replicating the models of successful chapters, and building long-term relationships with other interest groups (e.g., AAPI) and organisations.
Following the discussion of the coalition that both Chi-An and Chia-Chun had mentioned, a member of the audience asked during the Q&A session about FAPA’s approaches to left-leaning communities, to which Chia-Chun responded by mentioning the use of various channels to highlight Taiwan’s progressiveness.
Challenges
When asked about the challenges they encountered during advocacy, the panel discussed the difficulty of addressing the demands and priorities of different groups. Chia-Chun, in particular, highlighted the challenge of raising awareness about Taiwan’s issues within the AAPI community. One example was House members voting against a bipartisan committee focused on US-CCP competition, stating that it could “further embolden anti-Asian rhetoric and hate, putting lives at risk.” This narrative, which frames initiatives addressing malign PRC influence in the US as anti-Asian, risks homogenising Asian experiences and overlooking the oppression inflicted by China on other Asian communities.
An audience member, Victor Chin, also brought into the discussion about the potential confusion and problems created by the Kuomintang (KMT) campaign in the US, noting the presence of a KMT representative in the country during the QA session. The panellists reiterated the importance of building relations with delegations from the same state and establishing interpersonal ties between congressional staff.
Another audience member, Sasha, questioned how FAPA’s policy priorities and agenda differ from those of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The panellists, along with the current President Su-Mei Kao, responded that FAPA’s mission has always been centered on promoting Taiwan’s democracy and democratic values, rather than supporting specific political parties. As a non-profit organisation, their agenda does not always align with that of the Taiwan government.
Jenny and the former FAPA President Mark Kao, who was in attendance, further emphasised that FAPA is not an anti-China organisation, reiterating that FAPA’s focus is on human rights and the people of Taiwan, not the government. Referencing the case in which Members of Congress, citing anti-Asian hate concerns, voted to oppose the establishment of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the US and CCP that was mentioned earlier.
Mission and Vision for Advocacy
FAPA has been promoting relations and cooperation between Taiwan and the United States since its inauguration. Its staff and members have also been actively advocating for democracy, freedom and human rights. During the panel, the moderator, Yi-Ting Chung (PhD Candidate in History, Stanford University), invited the panellists to elaborate on the advocacy activities FAPA had taken recently. Jenny shared the recent statements of support issued by FAPA, including the one on Taiwan’s Blue Bird protest. Chia-Chun reiterated that while FAPA avoids interfering in other countries’ domestic politics, it actively informs US representatives about Taiwan-related issues, which is consistent with FAPA’s mission to bring knowledge about Taiwan to the US public and to underscore Taiwan as a vital member of the international community.
The panel discussions highlighted that the advocacy journey requires long-term commitment and sustained effort, as there will always be challenges beyond those mentioned above that the group will need to navigate and negotiate. For example, Mark explained that while representatives might support Taiwan in general, they often reserve their support for certain acts and thus require more effort and commitment from groups like FAPA.
Chi-An, adding to their vision for advocacy, emphasised the importance of getting people to believe in the advocacy process as a crucial but difficult first step since the process to success may be long and may not be seen as significant for the general public. As a response, Chia-Chun further stressed the need for a long-term commitment, citing the example of Senator Ed Markey from Massachusetts.
Finally, the moderator invited the panellists to conclude on a hopeful note by providing examples of FAPA’s past success. They cited the Taiwan Travel Act, which encourages visits between the United States and Taiwan, as a significant recent win in 2018. Additionally, in 2016, FAPA successfully urged Congress to pass a concurrent resolution reaffirming the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances as cornerstones of US-Taiwan relations. The success strengthened the US-Taiwan tie at all levels and made Taiwan visible on the international stage.
Yi-Ting Chung (she/her) is a fervent ramen eater and a History Ph.D. candidate in the fields of East Asia and transpacific history. Born and raised in Taiwan, her concern lies in the marginalised communities who were excluded, sacrificed, and forgotten in the making of the Japanese empire. Her current research direction examines how the colonial subjects of the Japanese empire—Okinawans, Koreans, and Taiwanese—traversed the Pacific while treading the complex boundaries of nation, empire, and race between Japan and the US in the first half of the twentieth century.
This article was published as part of a special issue on ‘NATSA: Taiwan Studies Matters’.
Taiwan Insight 