The US$2.3 trillion government spending package that US President Donald Trump finally signed on Sunday evening incorporates the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020, as well as money to support activities under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework initiative launched in 2015.
The government yesterday voiced gratitude for the passage of the act, with Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) saying that Taiwan would continue deepening its partnership with the US and be a force for good in the world.
H.R. 133, or the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, covers the fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30 next year and covers a US$900 billion COVID-19 pandemic relief package, US$1.4 trillion to fund government agencies, and backing for Taiwan’s defense capacity and its participation in international organizations.
Photo: CNA
The Taiwan Assurance Act supports the deepening of US-Taiwan ties on the basis of the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act (TRA).
It states that the US Congress believes Taiwan is a vital part of the US’ “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy” and as such the government should support Taiwan’s continued pursuit of asymmetric capabilities.
“The US should conduct regular sales and transfers of defense articles to Taiwan in order to enhance its self-defense capabilities, particularly its efforts to develop and integrate asymmetric capabilities, including undersea warfare and air defense capabilities, into its military forces,” the new act states.
In terms of Taiwan’s exclusion from international organizations due to Beijing’s opposition, the US Congress believes such a situation is detrimental to global health, civilian air safety and efforts to counter transnational crime, as well as having a negative impact on Taiwan’s democracy.
The act stresses that it is the policy of the US to advocate for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN, the WHO, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Criminal Police Organization and other international bodies, as appropriate.
The US should also advocate for Taiwan’s membership in the Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and other international organizations for which statehood is not a requirement for membership, it added.
The “Review of Department of State Taiwan Guidelines” states that the US secretary of state must conduct a review of the department’s guidance that governs relations with Taiwan not later than 180 days after the enactment of the law.
It also said the State Department’s guidance regarding relations with Taiwan should reflect the long-standing, comprehensive and values-based relationship the US shares with Taiwan, and contribute to the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement thanking “the US government and Congress for supporting Taiwan-US relations through concrete actions.”
The ministry said the new law includes US$3 million to support activities under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, which helps bring Taiwan’s expertise in areas such as public health, disaster relief, women’s empowerment and cybersecurity to the global stage.
Meanwhile, in Beijing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) said that China was “resolutely opposed” to the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 as well as the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020, which was also part of the omnibus bill signed by Trump on Sunday.
The US should not put the parts of the acts which “target China” into effect to avoid harming Sino-US relations, as they were an interference in China’s internal affairs, Zhao told reporters at a regular briefing at the ministry.
The Tibet act states that sanctions should be put on Chinese officials who interfere in the selection of the successor to the exiled Dalai Lama.
Additional reporting by Su Yung-yao and agencies
Three cases of Candida auris, a fungus that can cause a yeast infection known as candidiasis in humans, have been reported in Taiwan over the past few years, but they did not display drug resistance, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said yesterday. Lo made the statement at a news conference in Taipei, one day after the Washington Post reported that the potentially deadly fungus is spreading in US hospitals. The fungus was first discovered in Japan in 2009 and poses a danger to immunocompromised people, with an estimated mortality rate of 30 to 60 percent, Lo
SWITCH TO BEIJING: The government severed diplomatic relations about an hour after Honduras announced the move, saying that no semi-official ties would be maintained Taiwan severed diplomatic ties with Honduras and ended all cooperation with the Central American country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, about an hour and a half after the Honduran Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Twitter at 8am Taiwan time that the nation would cut its ties with Taiwan. Honduran President Xiomara Castro on Wednesday sent Honduran Minister of Foreign Affairs Eduardo Enrique Reina to Beijing to negotiate the establishment of diplomatic relations. She announced the plan on March 14 on Twitter. “To safeguard Taiwan’s sovereignty and dignity, Taiwan is terminating diplomatic ties with Honduras with immediate effect” after communication with
MEDIA, SOCIETY FOCUS: Doublethink Lab said that Beijing is trying to coerce countries that rely on China economically to pursue policies in its favor China has stronger influence over Taiwan’s media and society than any other country, the Taipei-based Doublethink Lab think tank said yesterday, as it announced its China Index gauging Beijing’s global influence. Taiwan ranked 11th overall among 82 countries assessed, but first in terms of social and media influence, Doublethink Lab chairman Puma Shen (沈伯洋) told a news conference in Taipei. More than 200 experts and academics participated in the project, including some highly influential figures, Shen said. The index collects information from countries worldwide to gauge China’s influence and assess how Chinese policies affect them, Shen said. In terms of Chinese
TRADE MISSION: After Fijian elections in December last year, pro-democratic parties formed a coalition and overruled a name change imposed by the former government The Taipei Trade Office in Fiji has been restored to its former name, the Trade Mission of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Republic of Fiji, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Fiji on Friday last week issued a note verbale to the office saying that the name change was retroactively effective from March 15, Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Director-General Wallace Chow (周民淦) told a news conference in Taipei. The mission’s diplomatic privileges have been reinstated as stipulated in Fiji’s Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities Act, which was enacted in 1971, Chow said. Taiwan set up a trade
RSS