The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the US military budget for next year, with an amendment that stipulates that if the US Department of Defense invites Beijing to participate in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), a similar invitation must also be extended to Taiwan.
The amendment was proposed by Mark Walker.
The amendment said that the US secretary of defense “shall invite the military forces of Taiwan to participate in any maritime exercise known as the Rim of the Pacific Exercise” if the secretary has invited the military forces of the People’s Republic of China to participate.
The amendment specified that “this section takes effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.”
The US National Defense Authorization Act, which passed 269 to 151, is to go to US President Barack Obama only after the US Senate passes the same or a similar bill.
China’s navy took part in RIMPAC — the largest international maritime warfare exercise in the world — in the summer of last year.
After being informed of the news, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General Major General David Lo (羅紹和) said in Taipei that the Republic of China (ROC) military welcomed the development.
The ministry intends to play a more active role in regional security and shoulder more responsibility for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, and is keen to be an observer at international organizations focused on security and cooperation while taking part in joint exercises, Lo said.
“We have expressed our willingness to take part in RIMPAC,” Deputy Minister of National Defense Admiral Chen Yung-kang (陳永康) said on April 20 in Taipei, local media reported last month.
Talks are under way between the Republic of China (ROC) Navy and the US Navy on the use of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES), Chen told a committee meeting in the legislature.
After establishing a CUES protocol based on international radio signal communication procedures, the ROC Navy “could have the opportunity to take the next step of participating in joint multinational naval exercises,” Chen said.
Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and China reached agreement on the CUES with the US before being allowed to participate in joint exercises and expand cooperation between their armed forces and that of the US, Chen added.
Obama has threatened to veto the legislation, which US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter last week described as a road to nowhere, the New York Times reported on Friday.
Senator John McCain, chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, said he hoped the two chambers would work together to produce a bill the president will sign, according to the Times.
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
PAPERS, PLEASE: The gang exploited the high value of the passports, selling them at inflated prices to Chinese buyers, who would treat them as ‘invisibility cloaks’ The Yilan District Court has handed four members of a syndicate prison terms ranging from one year and two months to two years and two months for their involvement in a scheme to purchase Taiwanese passports and resell them abroad at a massive markup. A Chinese human smuggling syndicate purchased Taiwanese passports through local criminal networks, exploiting the passports’ visa-free travel privileges to turn a profit of more than 20 times the original price, the court said. Such criminal organizations enable people to impersonate Taiwanese when entering and exiting Taiwan and other countries, undermining social order and the credibility of the nation’s
RSS