US act would put it at risk of being pawn of secessionists

The Taiwan Travel Act, which encourages high-level exchange of visits between the United States and the island, passed the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations last week as expected, and will now move to the Senate, where it is quite likely to get the seal of approval before being sent to the president to be signed into law.

But this is not a common bill. By pushing for official exchanges with Taiwan, the bill, if made into law, would signify a major shift in the US' long-held one-China policy, which is the cornerstone of Sino-US relations.

It would also embolden Taiwan secessionists as it implies that the island is already achieving the kind of statehood that they pursue.