The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday thanked the US House Intelligence Committee for reviewing the Intelligence Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020, which unprecedentedly requires the head of US intelligence to report on efforts by China to influence next year’s elections in Taiwan.
The Jan. 11 elections will decide Taiwan’s next president and vice president, as well as new legislators.
Introduced on Thursday last week and referred to the House Intelligence Committee, the bill authorizes funding for intelligence-related activities undertaken by US government agencies, including the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the CIA, the Department of Defense, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Department of State.
In a section on other countries, the bill requires US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to submit a report on China’s efforts to influence Taiwan’s presidential election next year and on the US’ efforts to disrupt Chinese operations.
The bill says that the report should assess whether China conducted influence operations and provide a comprehensive list of specific Chinese governmental and non-governmental entities involved.
The report should describe efforts by the US intelligence community to coordinate technical and material support for Taiwan that could identify, disrupt and combat influence operations by China, it says, adding that the report should be submitted no later than 45 days after the elections are held in Taiwan.
While some US officials have cautioned about Chinese influence in Taiwanese elections, it is the first time that the US Congress has fingered such interference in a draft bill, MOFA deputy spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said when asked for comment.
The bill’s referral to the intelligence committee is just the first step in the legislative process required before it can be signed into law by US President Donald Trump, Ou said, adding that the ministry would pay close attention to the bill’s progress.
To counter escalating pressure from China, the ministry is maintaining close communications with the US government through networks in Taipei and Washington, the ministry said in a statement.
Having noted the attacks of China’s cyberarmy, the US defense and intelligence agencies are on heightened alert, as next year’s presidential election would affect Taiwan’s US and cross-strait ties, National Taiwan Normal University political science professor Fan Shih-ping (范世平) told the Taipei Times.
Nonetheless, the crucial point is whether the US might provide intelligence and technological expertise in forestalling Chinese meddling in Taiwan’s elections, instead of just rendering a report on it afterward, Fan added.
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