The US Department of State has asked for an increase of US$16 million in next year’s budget for the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).
The increase is intended to account for an expected loss of revenues when Taiwan qualifies for the US’ visa-waiver program (VWP), and the AIT is no longer able to charge visa for visits to the US.
As a result, the AIT budget is expected to rise to US$37 million next year, up from US$21 million this year.
The figures were released on Monday as part of the department’s budget request for fiscal 2013.
While US President Barack Obama’s overall election year budget is expected to be highly controversial on Capitol Hill, the request for extra money for the AIT is expected to be approved.
The budget document says that the AIT fosters strong, but unofficial ties between the US and Taiwan and that “this responsibility is more important than ever.”
“AIT serves as the advocate to Taiwan authorities for US political, economic and security interests and analyzes and reports on political and economic events critical to the US,” it said.
“AIT serves as the platform for significant bilateral military, law enforcement and intelligence cooperation and facilitates significant US arms sales to Taiwan,” it said.
In recent years, visa processing fees have generated about US$19 million annually and most of this will be lost as Taiwan moves toward acceptance in the VWP.
“Taiwan’s entry into the VWP is among the United States’ top priority goals for its relations with Taiwan,” the budget request said.
The visa fees have been used to pay rent, utilities and other operating costs.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard