![\"\"](\"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/5e7d8ac720302718bc286be2.jpg\")
FILE PHOTO\u00a0 \u00a9 Reuters \/ Stephen Lam<\/p><\/div>\n
US President Donald Trump has signed the TAIPEI Act, a bill expressing American support for Taiwan and vowing to punish countries that side with Beijing on the issue, a move which is bound to further strain US-China relations.<\/p>\n
Signed into law late on Thursday night, the bill requires the US State Department to help Taiwan strengthen diplomatic ties in the Indo-Pacific region, threatening to penalize nations that\u00a0\u201cundermine the security or prosperity\u201d<\/em>\u00a0of the Chinese territory.<\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/taiwanformosan\/status\/1243352736739004416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1243352736739004416&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rt.com%2Fnews%2F484220-trump-taipei-act-china%2F<\/p>\n The law is supposed to\u00a0\u201csend a strong message to nations that there will be consequences for supporting Chinese actions that undermine Taiwan,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0according to its authors, Senators Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) and Chris Coons (D-Delaware).<\/p>\n Beijing has voiced staunch opposition to the law, passed unanimously by the Senate last October and by the House earlier this month, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian urging Washington to\u00a0\u201chandle issues relating to Taiwan prudently to avoid damaging bilateral relations.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Zhao also noted the law violates the\u00a0\u201cone-China\u201d<\/em>\u00a0principle, under which Taiwan is inalienable Chinese territory. The principle is often described by officials in Beijing as the\u00a0\u201cpolitical foundation of the China-US relationship.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n In addition to frequent\u00a0 transits of US warships through the Taiwan Strait, Beijing has also repeatedly expressed concerns over Trump\u2019s military support to Taiwan and deepening US ties with the island via the 2018\u00a0Taiwan Travel Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n Taiwan\u2019s Economic and Cultural Representative Office \u2013 the island\u2019s main agent in the US \u2013 hailed the move soon after the bill\u2019s signing, thanking the president and Congress for their\u00a0\u201cstaunch support.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/TECRO_USA\/status\/1243345269539983360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1243345269539983360&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rt.com%2Fnews%2F484220-trump-taipei-act-china%2F<\/p>\n Taiwan currently maintains diplomatic relations with some 15 countries. Since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016, however, eight nations have severed ties in favor of China, actions Tsai has slammed as examples of Beijing\u2019s\u00a0\u201cdiplomatic and military acts of coercion.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Through the US State Department, the TAIPEI Act will look to penalize such moves, leveraging US diplomatic muscle to push countries back into Taiwan\u2019s orbit.<\/p>\n