Major Republican victories in the US midterm congressional elections on Tuesday have increased support for Taiwan on Capitol Hill.
New Republican senators are expected to be more sympathetic to the nation than their Democratic counterparts.
And as Republicans take over Senate committee chairmanships in the new Congress next year, they will have much greater control over the legislative process.
There will be more pressure than ever on US President Barack Obama to take a harder line on China, and provide a warmer reception to Taiwan’s pleas for modern fighter planes and technical help for an indigenous submarine program.
With both houses of Congress in Republican hands, it is likely that new legislation will be introduced and passed next year calling for increased arms sales to Taipei.
While it was too early to gather in-depth reaction from members of the Taiwan caucus, a senior Republican staffer on the House of Representatives side predicted the Obama administration would also be pushed to offer more support for Taiwan’s entry into the nascent Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Gaining membership is a prime target for Taipei.
However, there is unlikely to be any immediate change in emphasis as the current Congress now enters its final session.
Obama has called a bipartisan meeting of congressional leaders for tomorrow at the White House to discuss cooperation before he leaves this weekend for Beijing and meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
Sources say Obama will offer to work with the new Republican leadership and try to break the political deadlock that has gripped Washington for much of his term.
Obama’s trip to Beijing will ensure that China is high on the agenda, but US foreign policy is currently dominated by the Ebola crisis and Islamic State militants.
It remains unclear just how much influence and impact increased Republican pressure will have on the White House.
The Republicans still do not have enough votes in the Senate to overturn a presidential veto.
Any move to improve US ties with Taiwan would be certain to upset Beijing and result in increased strains in the US-China relationship, thus Obama may remain very reluctant to bend to congressional pressure on Taiwan.
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A Taiwanese academic yesterday said that Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰) disrespected Denmark and Japan when he earlier this year allegedly asked Japan’s embassy to make Taiwan’s representatives leave an event in Copenhagen. The Danish-language Berlingske on Sunday reported the incident in an article with the headline “The emperor’s birthday ended in drama in Copenhagen: More conflict may be on the way between Denmark and China.” It said that on Feb. 26, the Japanese embassy in Denmark held an event for Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, with about 200 guests in attendance, including representatives from Taiwan. After addressing the Japanese hosts, Wang
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
About nine Taiwanese are “disappeared,” detained, or otherwise deprived of freedom of movement in China each month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Between Jan. 1 last year and Aug. 31 this year, 188 Taiwanese travelers went missing, were detained and interrogated, or had their personal freedom restricted, with some questioned in airports or hotel lobbies, the council said. In a statement ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the council urged people visiting China for any reason to be highly vigilant and aware of the risks. Of the reported cases, 50 people were “disappeared” after entering China, 19 were detained and 119 had
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