The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked US President Donald Trump for signing legislation friendly toward Taiwan, while saying it is watching US-China interactions closely, after Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) reportedly told Trump he was concerned about the US’ friendliness toward Taipei.
With funding of US$738 billion, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 was signed into law by Trump on Friday, after it was passed by the US Senate on Tuesday and the US House of Representatives on Wednesday last week.
The act requires the US director of national intelligence to deliver a report on Beijing’s interference campaigns targeting Taiwan’s elections and US responses to such campaigns within 45 days of an election in Taiwan.
Photo: AP
The Pentagon and the US Department of State are required to present reports within 180 days of the act’s implementation on reviewing the US’ Taiwan Relations Act and on Beijing’s influence over Taiwan’s security and economy as well as the cross-strait balance.
It also requires the US secretary of defense to submit a report on establishing a high-level interagency US-Taiwan group to tackle new cybersecurity issues within 180 days of the act taking effect.
Taiwan thanked Trump’s administration and the US Congress for their consistent support and commitment to Taiwan’s security, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement yesterday.
In the face of escalating tensions in the region, Taiwan would continue to accelerate its investment in national defense to boost its self-defense capabilities, she said.
Before signing the bill, Trump had talked with Xi, who reportedly raised concerns about the US’ attitude toward Taiwan.
“Had a very good talk with President Xi of China concerning our giant Trade Deal. China has already started large scale purchaes [sic] of agricultural product & more. Formal signing being arranged. Also talked about North Korea, where we are working with China, & Hong Kong (progress!),” Trump wrote on Twitter on Friday.
Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency yesterday confirmed the telephone call, but said that Xi had also broached the topic of Taiwan.
“We have expressed serious concern over the US’ passive remarks and deeds in issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet, which interfered in China’s internal affairs, damaged China’s interests and might hinder bilateral cooperation,” Xi was quoted as saying.
Xinhua quoted Trump as saying he believes that the US and China could handle discrepancies and continue to maintain ties.
Ou said that the US has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to Taiwan and approved five arms sale packages during Trump’s administration.
The ministry has been closely watching interactions between high-level US and Chinese officials, while maintaining diverse and smooth communication channels with the US, she added.
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability. The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary, to maintain order and stability in the foreign exchange market. The remarks came as the NT dollar yesterday closed up NT$0.919 to NT$30.145 against the US dollar in Taipei trading, after rising as high as NT$29.59 in intraday trading. The local currency has surged 5.85 percent against the greenback over the past two sessions, central
RSS