US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019 into law, before he talked with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) by telephone about the COVID-19 pandemic.
The TAIPEI Act authorizes the US government to increase economic, diplomatic and security engagements with nations upgrading relations with Taiwan, or reduce such engagements with nations taking actions that seriously undermine Taiwan.
The act calls on Washington to advocate for Taiwan’s membership, or observer status, in international organizations, while encouraging the US trade representative to further strengthen trade and economic relations with Taiwan.
Photo: Reuters
It is the second piece of legislation directly related to Taiwan that Trump has signed.
On March 16, 2018, he signed the Taiwan Travel Act, which encourages visits between US and Taiwanese officials of all levels, and signals an upgrade of bilateral ties, following the US’ Taiwan Relations Act of 1979.
The latest bill, first introduced by US Senator Cory Gardner in May last year, was passed by the US Senate on March 11.
US Representative John Curtis introduced the bill in the House of Representatives, which unanimously passed it on March 4.
The US is one of Taiwan’s most important international collaborators, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) wrote on Facebook yesterday, thanking Trump for taking concrete action to expand relations with Taiwan and support its participation in the global community.
She also thanked Gardner for introducing the bill in the US Senate and Curtis in the US House of Representatives.
The TAIPEI Act is “a testament to #Taiwan-#US friendship & mutual support as we work together to address global threats to human health & our shared democratic values,” Tsai wrote on Twitter.
Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said in a statement that the US is Taiwan’s most important international partner.
Taiwan would continue to strengthen collaboration with the US and other like-minded nations, Huang said, thanking Trump’s administration and the US Congress for their steadfast support.
Taiwan would advance partnerships around the globe based on the shared values of freedom, democracy and prosperity, he said, adding that the nation — as a force for good in the world — would continue to contribute to the global community.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said that the ministry would maintain its close ties with the US based on mutual trust and reciprocity, while working with other like-minded nations to achieve a greater global presence.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
NOT IMMEDIATE: Taiwan has a chance to appeal the proposed 10 percent tariff before it starts, while other countries face a 12.5 percent tariff from the trade office Taiwan is among 60 economies determined by the US to have failed to impose or enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor, according to a notice released on Tuesday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), which proposed imposing an additional 10 percent or more tariff on them. The USTR in a statement said that following an investigation, it had determined under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that the failure of the 60 economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is
TIT-FOR-TAT: The US allegedly revoked the visa of a Chinese national working at Xinhua News Agency in the US in response to Beijing’s expulsion of Vivian Wang The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China for expelling a New York Times correspondent from Beijing following the newspaper’s interview with President William Lai (賴清德), saying the move highlighted Beijing’s suppression of press freedom and its threat to international news media. Taiwan has noted a series of recent incidents in which Beijing used similar tactics to “threaten and pressure international media outlets and journalists,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. “This concerns not only press freedom and freedom of expression, but also the safety of journalists, and Taiwan and relevant partners are paying close attention to the situation,” she
RSS