A group of DPP and TSU legislators will travel to the US on Sunday to strengthen Taiwan-US ties and promote legislative exchanges, DPP legislator Trong Chai (
The 31 lawmakers of the ROC (Taiwan)-US Inter-Parliamentary Amity Association (RIAA,
They are expected to discuss Taiwan-US political and economic relationships, defense ties and Taiwan's participation in international organizations.
The Taiwan Caucus was created in April to give Taiwan more of a voice in the US Congress. Its membership from both the Senate and House of Representatives has risen to 116.
"Our trip will definitely enhance Taiwan's relationship with foreign nations," said Chai, who will lead the delegation.
"With President Chen (Shui-bian,
The delegation is scheduled to arrive in the US on July 22 and return to Taiwan on July 30. During the group's stay in Washington, it will also visit two think tanks, the Heritage Foundation and the Brookings Institute.
Legislator Chang Hsu-cheng (
"Besides strengthening our ties with North America, I believe that this will be a rewarding visit on the national-defense front," he said.
A delegation of KMT and PFP legislators, also members of the RIAA, is planning to visit Washington in late August.
According to a local Chinese-language newspaper report, the KMT and PFP legislators refused to join the "pan-green" delegation on their trip to the US because of their "different opinions regarding certain issues."
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
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