"…maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial [emphasis added] relations with the people of Taiwan." To that end, the United States Congress enacted Public Law 98-6, The Taiwan Relations Act, signed into law on April 12, 1979, with the intent of creating an infrastructure under which the United States could legally, in the international arena, maintain unofficial relations with Taiwan.Under the provisions of the Act, the United States has created, in domestic statute, an obligation to:preserve and promote extensive, close and friendly commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people of the United States and the people of Taiwan, as well as the people on the China mainland… [emphasis added]provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character… [emphasis added] andmaintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people of Taiwan; andmake available to Taiwan such defensive articles and services in quantities necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability. Additionally, the Act provided that the absence of diplomatic relations or recognition would not affect the application of the laws of the United States with respect to Taiwan and clarified that "Whenever the laws of the United States refer or relate to foreign countries, nations, states, governments, or similar entities, such terms shall include and such laws shall apply with such respect to Taiwan." In order to maintain an unofficial presence in Taiwan, the Act provided for the establishment of the American Institute of Taiwan (AIT), a nonprofit corporation, incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia, whose charge is to conduct or carry out programs, transactions and/or other relations on behalf of the United States with respect to Taiwan. Currently, the Taiwanese counterpar...
