Beijing might increase pressure for political and military negotiations with Taiwan, a report by the US Congressional Research Service said.
The report — an overview of US-Taiwan policy issues — is to be used as a guide for both houses of the US Congress when it comes into power next month.
According to the report, pressure from Beijing can be expected “further into” President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) second and final term.
While the report was actually written by Asian security affairs expert Shirley Kan and Asian trade and finance expert Wayne Morrison before the last months nine-in-one elections, it reflects perceived political changes in Taiwan.
“Beijing’s patience could be tested further by the sustained separate identity in Taiwan,” the report said.
“Despite the pronouncements of a ‘one China’ by leaders in Taipei and Beijing, and closer cross-strait ties, Taiwan’s people retain a strong Taiwan-centric identity over a century of mostly separation from mainland China,” the report said.
Still, it points out that Taiwan has “pragmatically pursued” prosperity, security, a democratic way of life and self-governance.
“Moderate voters generally have supported economic ties to the PRC amid political separation,” the report said.
It says the US could work with Taiwan to increase cooperation on international security.
“Taiwan could boost its defense and foreign aid spending, counter cyberthreats, and improve counter-espionage amid cases in Taiwan of alleged spying for Beijing,” the report said.
It added: “Taiwan has the option to increase military or civilian missions in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.”
While Taiwan has been of significant security, economic and political interest to the US, it has “posed challenges” to US engagement with China.
“For decades, Taipei has harbored fears about whether Beijing’s cooperation with Washington has occurred at the expense of Taiwan’s interests,” the report said.
It highlights 15 separate points of policy that the new Congress should consider.
The report asks: “How might Congress exercise its roles in US policy on Taiwan? How might Congress ensure momentum in strengthening US-Taiwan cooperation or ties?”
Members of Congress are asked to consider if the administration of US President Barack Obama is sticking to the Taiwan Relations Act in selling weapons to enable Taiwan to maintain sufficient self-defense capability.
“How effectively is the administration encouraging Taiwan to strengthen its self-defense, including by increasing the defense budget?” the report asked.
Congress is also asked to consider if US policy should allow or encourage more senior Taiwanese officials to visit the US, and encourage expanded communication with Taiwan’s president.
Significantly, the report asks Congress if the US should negotiate a free-trade agreement or bilateral investment agreement and support Taiwan’s efforts to join regional trade blocs such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
Taiwan is awaiting official notification from the US regarding the status of the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) after the US Supreme Court ruled US President Donald Trump's global tariffs unconstitutional. Speaking to reporters before a legislative hearing today, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that Taiwan's negotiation team remains focused on ensuring that the bilateral trade deal remains intact despite the legal challenge to Trump's tariff policy. "The US has pledged to notify its trade partners once the subsequent administrative and legal processes are finalized, and that certainly includes Taiwan," Cho said when asked about opposition parties’ doubts that the ART was
If China chose to invade Taiwan tomorrow, it would only have to sever three undersea fiber-optic cable clusters to cause a data blackout, Jason Hsu (許毓仁), a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator, told a US security panel yesterday. In a Taiwan contingency, cable disruption would be one of the earliest preinvasion actions and the signal that escalation had begun, he said, adding that Taiwan’s current cable repair capabilities are insufficient. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) yesterday held a hearing on US-China Competition Under the Sea, with Hsu speaking on
RSS