Former US House of Representatives speaker Paul Ryan is to head a delegation to Taiwan in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) announced yesterday.
The delegation is to participate in a series of events, including a ceremony at the AIT’s new office compound in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖) on Monday next week and the Women’s Economic Empowerment Summit at Taipei’s Songshan Cultural and Creative Park (松山文創園區) on Tuesday, the AIT said in a statement.
The Central News Agency reported that Ryan would be a speaker at Monday’s ceremony and reception at the AIT’s new location, citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter.
Photo courtesy of Congressional Pictorial Directory
The TRA was signed into law by then-US president Jimmy Carter on April 10, 1979, the same year that the AIT was established.
The news comes after the US House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday unanimously voted for two bills — House Resolution 273 (HR 273; Reaffirming the United States commitment to Taiwan and to the implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act) and House Resolution 2002 (HR 2002; Taiwan Assurance Act of 2019) — to be sent to the House floor for consideration.
“Taiwan is a strong democratic ally and is increasingly under threat from communist China,” US Representative and committee leader Michael McCaul said.
HR 2002 “reaffirms our support for Taiwan’s defense capabilities and advocates for their participation in international organizations,” said McCaul, who introduced the bill.
“As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, it is important for our friend Taiwan to know that our alliance will only grow stronger,” he added.
The committee shared on Facebook a GIF of the 14 resolutions that were considered at Tuesday’s session: HR 2002 was listed beside a Republic of China national flag, while HR 273 was listed beside a logo that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs designed in honor of the TRA’s 40th anniversary.
The ministry called the committee’s approval of the resolutions on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the TRA “significant.”
The ministry would closely follow any future legislation favorable to Taiwan, it said.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US said on Facebook that it sincerely thanks the US Congress for its support of long-term, deeper Taiwan-US relations, as well as Taiwan’s efforts to protect its sovereignty, the values of democracy and freedom, and safety in the Taiwan Strait.
HR 273 says that the TRA and the “six assurances” — proposed by Taiwan and issued in 1982 by the administration of then-US president Ronald Reagan — are “cornerstones of United States policy with respect to Taiwan.”
The resolution also says that “communication on bilateral security, cultural and commercial interests would be greatly enhanced with the full implementation of the Taiwan Travel Act,” which was passed last year.
The US president should “conduct regular transfers of defense articles to Taiwan consistent with Taiwan’s national security requirements in accordance to prior legislation, including the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018,” it says.
The resolution also calls on the US secretary of state to “actively engage internationally in support of Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations engaged in addressing transnational threats and challenges such as those related to health, aviation security, and crime and terrorism.”
Additional reporting by CNA
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
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was
RSS