US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and three members of the US Congress voiced support for Taiwan on Wednesday, the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA).
At a congressional hearing on the US Department of State’s budget, Pompeo said that he plans to fully adhere to the TRA, which was signed into law on April 10, 1979, as well as the Taiwan Travel Act and the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act, which were both passed last year, to strengthen the US’ partnership with Taiwan.
“We have a lot going on with AIT [the American Institute in Taiwan] with our senators there,” Pompeo said, when asked if high-level US officials would visit Taiwan in the near future to demonstrate the US’ commitment to Taiwan.
Photo: Reuters
US Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy Chairman Cory Gardner said at the hearing that the TRA, the “six assurances” issued in 1982 by then-US president Ronald Reagan, the Taiwan Travel Act and the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act have become cornerstones of US relations with Taiwan.
The Colorado Republican said in an interview after the hearing that he believes Taiwan “has more bipartisan support than probably any country right now, any other place around the world.”
“I think it’s incredibly important that we continue to support the Taiwan Relations Act, today being the 40th anniversary, and we have a resolution in Congress to celebrate that recognition,” he said.
Following in the footsteps of the US House of Representatives, a group of US senators on Thursday last week introduced a concurrent resolution reaffirming the US’ commitment to Taiwan to mark the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the TRA.
Echoing Gardner, Senator Benjamin Cardin said that the US has made it clear that “we protect the rights of the Taiwanese people.”
“We raised that to the highest levels, so I think we have been straightforward and transparent about our concerns for the security of Taiwan,” Cardin said.
Asked what kind of role he would like to see Taiwan play in the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy, the two-term Maryland Democrat said that “Taiwan should be a partner.”
In an article titled “Four Decades of the Taiwan Relations Act Remains a Monument to our Resolve to Uphold Democracy” on US political Web site The Hill, US Representative Steve Chabot said that it is essential that the US continue to strengthen its bilateral relationship with Taiwan.
Chabot said that US support for Taiwan is becoming increasingly urgent, adding that “while the Communist Party of China has always sought to impose its view that Taiwan is a renegade province on the rest of the world, [Chinese] President Xi Jinping [習近平] is now taking a more aggressive stance.”
“If we are too scared of what President Xi might say, or of what Beijing might do, all our rhetoric about a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’ is nothing more than hot air, and China has already won,” the long-time supporter of Taiwan wrote.
To mark the 40th anniversary of the TRA’s enactment, former House speaker Paul Ryan is to lead a delegation to Taiwan to attend a series of celebrations, the AIT said.
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
PENTAGON ASSESSMENT: A US report said that even as China and Russia deepen their partnership, cooperation is hindered by a ‘mutual distrust’ of each other The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as of October had doubled the number of ships and airplanes deployed around Taiwan compared with the previous two years, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) said yesterday, a day after the opposition-controlled legislature voted against reviewing the government’s general budget for next year, including a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.71 billion) special defense spending bill. The legislature’s vote against the Ministry of National Defense’s spending plans was regrettable, as the budget was designed to respond to the developing Chinese military threat, Hsu said on the sidelines of a legislative meeting on the general budget. Defense
RSS