Secretary of State Pompeo announces move to lift 'self-imposed restrictions' related to Taiwan

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced a move to lift "self-imposed restrictions" related to America's engagement with Taiwan.

"Taiwan is a vibrant democracy and reliable partner of the United States, and yet for several decades the State Department has created complex internal restrictions to regulate our diplomats, servicemembers, and other officials’ interactions with their Taiwanese counterparts," Pompeo said in a statement. "The United States government took these actions unilaterally, in an attempt to appease the Communist regime in Beijing. No more." 

"Today I am announcing that I am lifting all of these self-imposed restrictions. Executive branch agencies should consider all 'contact guidelines' regarding relations with Taiwan previously issued by the Department of State under authorities delegated to the Secretary of State to be null and void," he said.

The move comes during the waning days of the Trump administration ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration slated for later this month.

"Additionally, any and all sections of the Foreign Affairs Manual or Foreign Affairs Handbook that convey authorities or otherwise purport to regulate executive branch engagement with Taiwan via any entity other than the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) are also hereby voided," the statement said. "The executive branch‘s relations with Taiwan are to be handled by the non-profit AIT, as stipulated in the Taiwan Relations Act."