New Act Mandates US Push for Taiwan’s Inclusion in Global Crime-Fighting Network Interpol

This new piece of legislation, titled the Taiwan International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) Endorsement and Inclusion Act, is pretty straightforward: it makes it official U.S. policy to aggressively advocate for Taiwan to rejoin Interpol, either as a member or an observer. The bill immediately tasks the Secretary of State with developing a formal strategy to make this happen, which must include lobbying other member states and instructing the U.S. National Central Bureau (Interpol Washington) to formally request membership for Taiwan. Essentially, the U.S. is stepping up to close a critical security gap that has existed for decades.

The Security Gap: Why Taiwan Needs the I-24/7 System

Think of Interpol as the world’s secure email server for cops. When a major crime happens—say, an international fraud ring or a terrorist plot—police forces around the globe use Interpol’s I-24/7 communications system to share real-time data, like criminal records and stolen passport information. Taiwan was kicked out of Interpol back in 1984 after the People’s Republic of China (PRC) joined, and since then, they’ve been locked out of this critical network. The bill highlights that because Taiwan can’t access this live data, they have to rely on slow, second-hand information from friendly nations, creating a major blind spot in global security (Sec. 2, Findings of Congress). If you’re a business owner dealing with international supply chains or intellectual property, or just someone who travels, this exclusion matters because it weakens the ability of law enforcement to track bad actors globally.

What the State Department Has to Do Now

The State Department isn't just sending a polite letter. The bill requires a concrete, multi-pronged strategy. This includes getting Taiwan into Interpol meetings and activities, encouraging meaningful information sharing between U.S. and Taiwanese law enforcement, and using U.S. influence in all international organizations to push for Taiwan’s inclusion (Sec. 2, Strategy for Taiwan's Participation in Interpol). Crucially, the policy also requires the President or their designees to bring up Taiwan’s membership during bilateral talks with the PRC. This is the part that could generate diplomatic friction, as the U.S. is essentially making this a non-negotiable foreign policy priority, directly challenging the PRC’s long-standing position on Taiwan’s international status.

Reporting on Real-World Threats

To ensure this isn't just symbolic, the bill mandates two separate reports to Congress within 90 days of enactment. The first report is the strategy itself, detailing how the U.S. plans to convince other member states to support Taiwan. The second report, required from the U.S. National Central Bureau, must detail all the threats to Taiwan’s criminal intelligence that exist specifically because they lack access to Interpol’s systems (Sec. 3). This report is key because it forces the U.S. to quantify the real-world security risks—like gaps in tracking cybercriminals or fugitives—that stem from this political exclusion. For those of us who rely on effective law enforcement, this bill aims to make sure politics doesn't unnecessarily compromise global safety.