The US is not living up to the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), a leading US representative said on Wednesday.
“We have enjoyed a long strategic partnership with Taiwan,” US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia Chairman Matt Salmon told a National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) conference.
“But I am concerned we are not living up to our expectations as expressed in the Taiwan Relations Act,” he added.
He said he hoped that over the next year, the US would bring clarity to the issue and better provide for the security and stability of Taiwan.
A Republican, Salmon did not give details of just how the US was failing to meet its obligations under the TRA but many members of US Congress have criticized US President Barack Obama for not selling more modern weapons systems — particularly F-16C/Ds — to the nation.
Salmon, who served as a Mormon missionary in Taiwan from 1977 to 1979, said that he had returned to Taiwan “many times” and would be leading a congressional delegation to Taiwan next month.
He said that Taiwan had a “very vibrant relationship” with the US and that the US Congress had an important role to play in that relationship, as demonstrated when it “stepped up to the plate” and passed the TRA.
“Taiwan is a very special place for me,” Salmon said.
He said that as a modern democracy and developed society, Taiwan has much to contribute to Asia and the world.
Salmon said that Taiwan would have an important election early next year, adding: “We are all watching that and are supportive of Taiwan’s democracy.”
He said that he strongly supported Taiwan’s influence in the world and hoped that it would participate “more and more” in international organizations.
“It’s crucial we have all hands on deck when it comes to world security and Taiwan is a part of that,” Salmon said.
He said that he supported Taiwan’s possible membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal in the second round of membership negotiations, which could still be more than two years away.
Earlier, Representative to the US Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡) told the conference — which was held in a congressional hearing room — that it was not just Taiwan that needed the TPP, but that the TPP also needed Taiwan.
“We are making our own necessary reforms to qualify and be eligible for TPP and even though we still need to make a lot a adjustments, we are actively preparing ourselves,” he said.
Asked whether China might pressure other TPP members to keep Taiwan out of the partnership, Shen said it was better for Taiwan to work on gaining membership rather than to worry about “the China factor.”
He said there were already precedents to show that China and Taiwan could work together and there was no point in fearing issues over which Taiwan has no control.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
RSS