Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday expressed gratitude to the US Congress for its support after the US House Armed Services Committee passed a National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
“[We] have noted the bill that is being deliberated in the US Congress, which includes many elements friendly toward Taiwan,” Wu said.
Wu said he is extremely grateful for the US Congress’ support for Taiwan, especially in the areas of national security and defense cooperation.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
The US House Armed Services Committee on Thursday passed the latest version of the annual NDAA with a bipartisan vote of 60 to 1.
The bill still requires the approval of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate before it can be signed into law.
Under Section 1243 of the draft, the US secretary of defense is required to consult with Taiwanese officials to conduct a comprehensive assessment on ways to enhance and reform Taiwan’s military forces.
The section requests that the US secretary of defense, after consulting with the US secretary of state, submit a report to the appropriate US congressional committees within a year of the NDAA’s enactment, detailing a summary of the assessment and a list of recommendations and planned actions.
The report should also include a plan for the US to “expand senior military-to-military engagement and joint training by US Armed Forces with the military of Taiwan” and “support US foreign military sales and other equipment transfers to Taiwan, particularly for developing asymmetric warfare capabilities,” it says.
Ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said in a statement that the wording of the bill serves as the latest example of the US’ bipartisan emphasis on and support for the Taiwan-US security partnership.
The ministry would closely watch deliberations on the bill, Lee said.
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said the bill would serve to stabilize regional security by expanding military exchanges between the US and Taiwan.
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) said the ministry is delighted to see measures that would boost the nation’s self-defense capabilities.
He also expressed gratitude to US representatives who are seeking to maintain stable bilateral ties based on the Taiwan Relation Act and the six assurances, which are the cornerstones of US-Taiwan relations in the absence of formal diplomatic relations.
Meanwhile, Wu, on the sidelines of a ceremony to open the foreign ministry’s new Indo-Pacific Affairs Section in Taipei yesterday, said Taiwan would endeavor to improve its defensive capabilities, adding that efforts would also be made to further Taiwan-US cooperation on security to maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
The new Indo-Pacific Affairs Section is part of the foreign ministry’s Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Wu said some like-minded nations, such as the US, Australia and Japan, have proposed the idea of a “free and open Indo-Pacific” region.
“They are all exploring ways to facilitate cooperation on trade and the value of freedom in the Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan must head in the same direction, which will be the focus of the new section,” Wu said.
Wu said the new section would guide the government’s New Southbound Policy and the Indo-Pacific global strategy, handling affairs concerning major actors in the region, including India, Australia and New Zealand.
Additional reporting by CNA
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
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
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