To the disappointment of Taiwan supporters in the US House of Representatives, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will not soon take up a bill the supporters introduced in late July aimed at pushing the administration of US President George W. Bush to lift a nearly year-long freeze on around US$12 billion in arms sales to Taiwan.
The bill would require that the administration provide Congress with “detailed briefings” on a regular basis on any discussions it has with Taiwan on the arms sales and on any “potential transfer” of weapons to Taiwan.
The briefings would enable Congress to help ensure that the sales go through.
The measure highlights the dismay lawmakers have felt over what they see as the administration’s failure to keep Congress informed on progress toward arms sales to Taiwan and on the reasons behind the freeze, Capitol Hill officials involved in drafting the legislation said.
The bill, which was introduced before Congress went out of session for its annual month-long Fall recess, had been expected to be brought to the committee for a vote this month.
But the committee’s chairman, Howard Berman, excluded the bill from a “markup” session that was scheduled for yesterday, in which the committee votes on bills and passes them on to the full House for deliberation. That session was the last markup for the committee before Congress adjourns on Friday next week.
Despite the omission, the bill’s chief sponsor and the ranking Republican member of the committee, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, remained optimistic it could be approved if Congress holds a “lame-duck” or special final session after the November elections.
“We’re going to continue fighting to make sure that Congress complies with the law of the land, the Taiwan Relations Act, that says the United States will defend Taiwan and will give her whatever equipment she needs,” Ros-Lehtinen told the Taipei Times.
“So I’m optimistic that when we come back, perhaps in the lame-duck session, that we will be able to pass the Taiwan bill that will give the military edge to Taiwan,” she said.
“The reason it has not passed yet is not because of [a] lack of support, just the lack of legislative days on the calendar,” Ros-Lehtinen said.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique