A draft US act, the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI), which is to “impose consequence on nations downgrading ties with Taiwan,” will be reviewed at a US Senate committee next week, US Senator Cory Gardner’s office wrote on Twitter yesterday.
The TAIPEI bill would require a US strategy to engage with governments around the world to support Taiwan’s diplomatic recognition and bolster unofficial ties with Taiwan, while authorizing the US Department of State to downgrade relations with governments that take adverse actions with regard to Taiwan.
Gardner and other senators in May reintroduced the bill after Taiwan was denied participation at the 72nd World Health Assembly, the WHO’s decisionmaking body, in Geneva, Switzerland.
With Taiwan losing two allies in a week after Kiribati followed the Solomon Islands’ step to cut ties with Taipei, Gardner reiterated his call for the proposed legislation.
“Next week @SenateForeign will mark up @SenCoryGardner’s TAIPEI Act which would set US policy & impose consequences on nations downgrading ties with Taiwan,” was posted to a Twitter account named “Asia Reassurance,” which is run by Gardner’s office.
US Senator Tom Cotton urged the Senate to pass a draft Taiwan Assurance Act, saying the bill affirms that China’s efforts to exclude Taiwan from the international community are a national security concern for Washington.
US Senator Bob Menendez tweeted that “China’s predatory campaign to isolate #Taiwan from the rest of the international community is seriously alarming and unacceptable,” adding that “Taiwan is, and always will be, one of our most important partners in the region.”
“Unless this behavior is confronted, Beijing will stop at nothing to isolate Taiwan internationally,” US Senator Marco Rubio tweeted. “We must continue to stand for democracy.”
US senators Ted Yoho, Mike Quigley and Rick Scott also urged the US government to provide Taipei with more support to frustrate Chinese expansionism in the Indo-Pacific region, which they said also poses a threat to US national security.
The US State Department expressed disappointment over Kiribati’s diplomatic switch, but added: “Our commitment to the Pacific is enduring.”
“We continue to express concerns with China’s campaign to pressure countries to discontinue ties with Taiwan. We continue to have an interest in cross-strait peace and stability,” it said, echoing an American Institute in Taiwan statement on Friday.
“We also continue our commitment to the US’ one China policy, based on the Three Joint Communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act,” it said. “The United States is exploring a variety of options with regard to how to respond.”
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese