The US House of Representatives on Monday passed a resolution aimed at boosting relations with Taiwan as members reassured Taipei of Washington’s support.
Close observers on Capitol Hill said that the resolution — which triggers no specific action — was in part designed as a goodwill gift to president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
“It is the sense of [US] Congress that the Taiwan Relations Act and the six assurances together form the cornerstone of US relations with Taiwan,” the resolution read.
Photo: AP
“Since the six assurances were a verbal pledge, this is the first time in history that they have reached the floor of Congress in the form of legislation,” Formosan Association of Public Affairs president Peter Chen (陳正義) said.
“It adds tremendous weight and momentum to the six assurances and further solidifies the US commitment to Taiwan,” Chen said. “With the May 20 inauguration in Taiwan, passage of the resolution is a welcome gift to the people of Taiwan and a celebration of their continued commitment to freedom, human rights and democracy.”
The resolution was first introduced by Representative Steve Chabot, former chairman of the Asian Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Speaking from the floor of the House, Chabot said the US-Taiwan relationship is vital to the security of the whole region.
“China has been bullying Taiwan for many years now. It is unfortunate that China doesn’t follow Taiwan as an example. Taiwan faces an unrelenting threat from China, which has nearly 1,600 ballistic missiles aimed at this small island,” Chabot said.
“Although Taiwan enjoys de facto independence, China’s ultimate goal is to take over Taiwan, to annex Taiwan. We absolutely cannot let that happen,” he said. “The Taiwan Strait continues to be one of the most dangerous flash points on the globe. [Former US] president Ronald Reagan realized that Taiwan needed to be reassured that it would not be abandoned and it will not be abandoned by the US.”
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce told the House of Representatives: “Taiwan has always been a strong friend and critical ally to the United States.”
It is the US’ interest to have a prosperous and a stable Taiwan, he said.
Royce praised the democracy and fairness behind Tsai’s election and said the new legislation was especially important because Congress was going on record for the first time to say that the six assurances are part of the cornerstone of US-Taiwan relations.
Royce said the legislation urges US President Barack Obama and all administrations that follow to publicly, proactively and consistently take the six assurances into account.
The legislation strengthens the US-Taiwan partnership, he said.
Representative Eliot Engle, a ranking member of the committee, said that the new legislation sends a “clear signal” of US support as Tsai’s inauguration nears.
“Even as we deal with China, we must stand with our friends in Taiwan,” Engle said.
Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a former chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said the new legislation leaves no doubt about US commitment to Taiwan.
“It is one of the world’s strongest and most vibrant democracies,” she said, congratulating Tsai on her “tremendous” election victory.
She said that China continued raising tensions in the region and that it was “crucial” that the US provide Taiwan with the capability to defend itself against Chinese oppression.
“Both China and Taiwan must know that our commitment to Taiwan has not wavered one bit. Taiwan is an essential US ally. It is our friend. It is our partner. The US will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Taiwan,” Ros-Lehtinen said.
The TRA came into force in 1979 during the administration of former US president Jimmy Carter, but three years later, Reagan said that Taiwan needed reassurance that it would not be abandoned, and gave it what became known as the “six assurances.”
They promise that a date will not be set for ending arms sales; that China will not be consulted on arms sales; that the US will not play a mediation role between Beijing and Taipei; that the TRA will not be revised; that the US will not alter its position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan; and that the US will not pressure Taiwan to negotiate with China.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Eleanor Wang (王珮玲) yesterday said that the ministry welcomed and appreciated the concrete actions taken by the US House of Representatives to acknowledge the significance of the TRA and the “six assurances” on Taiwan-US ties.
“The US House of Representatives has been a long-term supporter of Taiwan. It is the first time it has passed a resolution to recognize the important roles played by the Taiwan Relations Act and the six assurances on our bilateral ties, urging the US president and the [US] Department of State to openly, actively and consistently reaffirm them as the cornerstone of US-Taiwan relations,” Wang said.
Additional reporting by Stacy Hsu
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
WARNING: From Jan. 1 last year to the end of last month, 89 Taiwanese have gone missing or been detained in China, the MAC said, urging people to carefully consider travel to China Lax enforcement had made virtually moot regulations banning civil servants from making unauthorized visits to China, the Control Yuan said yesterday. Several agencies allowed personnel to travel to China after they submitted explanations for the trip written using artificial intelligence or provided no reason at all, the Control Yuan said in a statement, following an investigation headed by Control Yuan member Lin Wen-cheng (林文程). The probe identified 318 civil servants who traveled to China without permission in the past 10 years, but the true number could be close to 1,000, the Control Yuan said. The public employees investigated were not engaged in national
The zero emissions ship Porrima P111 was launched yesterday in Kaohsiung, showcasing the nation’s advancement in green technology, city Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. The nation last year acquired the Swiss-owned vessel, formerly known as Turanor PlanetSolar, in a bid to boost Taiwan’s technology sector, as well as ecotourism in Palau, Chen said at the ship’s launch ceremony at Singda Harbor. Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) also attended the event. The original vessel was the first solar-powered ship to circumnavigate the globe in a voyage from 2010 to 2012. Taiwan-based Porrima Inc (保利馬) installed upgrades with
ENHANCE DETERRENCE: Taiwan has to display ‘fierce resolve’ to defend itself for China to understand that the costs of war outweigh potential gains, Koo said Taiwan’s armed forces must reach a high level of combat readiness by 2027 to effectively deter a potential Chinese invasion, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) published yesterday. His comments came three days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the US Senate that deterring a Chinese attack on Taiwan requires making a conflict “cost more than what it’s worth.” Rubio made the remarks in response to a question about US policy on Taiwan’s defense from Republican Senator John Cornyn, who said that Chinese
RSS