The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, which includes US backing for expanded military exchanges with Taiwan and amendments to US Navy port of call stops in Taiwan.
The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which serves as the foundation for commercial, cultural and other relations between Taiwan and the US, and the “six assurances” are included in the bill, which cleared with a 344 to 81 vote.
It is the “sense of [US] Congress” that, in accordance with the TRA, the US should make available and provide timely review of requests for defense articles and services that might be necessary for Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability, the bill states.
The US should seek opportunities for expanded training and exercises with Taiwan, and encourage Taiwan’s continued investment in asymmetric self-defense capabilities that are mobile and survivable against threatening forces, it adds.
It was also the “sense of Congress” that “Taiwan should significantly increase its defense budget to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability.”
A “sense of Congress” is a formal expression of opinion, but is not legally binding.
Many amendments to the bill were also passed, including two on Taiwan.
One amendment requires the US secretary of defense to report to congressional committees by no later than Sept. 1 next year on “the feasibility and advisability” of the US Navy making port of call stops in Taiwan and of the Republic of China Navy making port calls in US territories.
The other amendment pertains to normalizing the transfer of defense articles and defense services to Taiwan, again using a “sense of Congress” clause.
It stipulates that no later than 120 days after the US secretary of defense receives a letter of request from Taiwan with respect to the transfer of a defense article or service to Taiwan, the secretary, in consultation with the US secretary of state, should submit a congressional report on the issue.
Taiwan yesterday expressed its gratitude to the US Congress for its interest in Taiwan’s defense and the security ties between the two.
“We will continue to attach importance to investment in national defense and bolster our self-defense capabilities, and stay in close contact with friends in the US to ensure regional peace and stability,” Presidential Office spokesman Sidney Lin (林鶴明) said.
The US Senate is also to vote on a draft National Defense Authorization Act, which was recently passed by the US Senate’s Armed Services Committee. If the version is different from that of the US House of Representatives, the two chambers are to negotiate a final version.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei
NO LIVERPOOL TRIP: Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who won a gold medal in the boxing at the Paris Olympics, was embroiled in controversy about her gender at that event Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) will not attend this year’s World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, due to a lack of response regarding her sex tests from the organizer, World Boxing. The national boxing association on Monday said that it had submitted all required tests to World Boxing, but had not received a response as of Monday, the departure day for the championships. It said the decision for Lin to skip the championships was made to protect its athletes, ensuring they would not travel to the UK without a guarantee of participation. Lin, who won a gold medal in the women’s 57kg boxing
The US has revoked Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) authorization to freely ship essential gear to its main Chinese chipmaking base, potentially curtailing its production capabilities at that older-generation facility. American officials recently informed TSMC of their decision to end the Taiwanese chipmaker’s so-called validated end user (VEU) status for its Nanjing site. The action mirrors steps the US took to revoke VEU designations for China facilities owned by Samsung Electronics Co and SK Hynix Inc. The waivers are set to expire in about four months. “TSMC has received notification from the US Government that our VEU authorization for TSMC Nanjing
RSS