Bill to increase travel and trade with Taiwan introduced in US House of Representatives

‘Strengthening economic engagement is a win-win for our Taiwanese friends and for American jobs and national security,’ a sponsor says

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Tourists photographing Taipei from the rocks of Elephant Mountain. A bill to encourage travel to Taiwan has been introduced in the US House of Representatives. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:01am, 29 Mar 2025Updated: 5:12am, 29 Mar 2025

US lawmakers are ramping up efforts to deepen travel and trade ties with Taiwan, as cross-strait tensions flare over alleged Chinese espionage and naval incidents and anxieties grow in Taiwan about its partnership with the US.

The bipartisan Taiwan Travel and Tourism Coordination Act, introduced by Representative Young Kim, a California Republican, would require the Commerce Department to pursue opportunities to expand US-Taiwan travel and strengthen their respective tourism industries.

It would also require a feasibility study of a pre-clearance facility in Taiwan to allow travellers to clear US customs before departing the island – which, if established, would mark a first for the US in the Indo-Pacific region.

“As Xi Jinping continues to isolate Taiwan from the outside world, strengthening economic engagement is a win-win for our Taiwanese friends and for American jobs and national security,” Kim said on Friday in a statement announcing the bill.

Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat who is a co-sponsor, said the legislation would strengthen “Taiwan’s resistance to economic coercion” by Beijing.

“By expanding people-to-people ties with Taiwan, we can build a more vibrant US-Taiwan relationship and ensure greater security in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.