Two US lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bill to the US Congress to track and expedite the delivery of US arms sold to Taiwan amid growing tensions between Taipei and Beijing.
The arms exports delivery solutions act was introduced by Republican US representatives Young Kim and Michael McCaul, who are both on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.
The bill seeks to ensure that “defense equipment already purchased from the US by Taiwan and other allies in the [Indo-Pacific] region are tracked and delivered as efficiently as possible as the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] eyes further aggression,” Kim said in a statement.
Photo: AP
“Delayed deliveries of congressionally approved sales to Taiwan are undermining our ability to deter an attack from China,” McCaul said. “This is incredibly concerning as China ramps up its belligerence towards Taiwan.”
China says it wants to unify with Taiwan through peaceful means, although it has not denounced the use of force to achieve that goal. It has stepped up economic, political and military pressure on Taipei over the past few years, as the Democratic Progressive Party government refuses to accept the so-called “1992 consensus.”
Beijing has also accused Taipei and Washington of trying to alter the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait. It has repeatedly sent military aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, drawing condemnations from Taipei and Washington.
As a result, some US lawmakers have spoken out in favor of prioritizing weapons sales and deliveries to Taiwan.
The bill would require US President Joe Biden’s administration to submit a report to Congress before March 1 next year listing the approved sales of US defense articles or services worth US$25 million or more to Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand that have not been fully delivered.
The report should provide reasons for any changes or delays on the part of the US in its transfer of the approved defense items while outlining possible measures the US can take with the Congress’ authorization to provide “interim capabilities or solutions” to its partners subject to such delays.
The report should also provide a description of “the actions the United States is taking to expedite deliveries of defense articles and services to Taiwan,” the bill says.
Prioritizing the defense needs of Washington’s allies and partners is “a national security priority,” and the US’ sustained support for the defense of its key partners benefits Americans and international trade, it says.
The “1992 consensus” — a term that former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the CCP that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
NOT BUYING IT: One of the goals of Beijing’s Cross-Strait Media People Summit was to draw mainstream media executives to discuss the ‘one country, two systems’ formula Taiwanese news media insist on press freedom and professionalism, and would never become a tool of China’s “united front” campaign, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday, responding to media queries about the lack of Taiwanese media executives at the Cross-Strait Media People Summit in Beijing. Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧) was reportedly furious that no Taiwanese media representatives attended a scheduled meeting with him on Thursday last week. “Beijing should take Taiwan’s determination to pursue freedom and democracy seriously. We also hope that it will not use vicious means to interfere with Taiwan’s development into a
IMMIGRATION REFORM: The legislative amendments aim to protect the rights of families to reunify, and to attract skilled professionals to stay and work in Taiwan Foreigners who are highly skilled professionals, top-prize winners in professional disciplines, investment immigration applicants or have made special contributions to Taiwan can soon apply for permanent residency on behalf of their spouses and minor or disabled children after the legislature approved amendments to the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法). The amendments, which were proposed by the Ministry of the Interior and approved by the Executive Yuan on Jan. 12, aim to attract foreign talent to Taiwan and encourage them to stay. They would take effect once they are signed by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). The amendments involved changing 63 articles, making it the biggest
FIRST STEP: Business groups in Taiwan welcomed the deal, which does not include tariff reductions at this stage, as they called for the elimination of double taxation Taiwan and the US yesterday signed an initial agreement under the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade. The agreement was signed yesterday morning by Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Managing Director Ingrid Larson in Washington, the Office of Trade Negotiations in Taipei said. The ceremony was witnessed by Minister Without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中) and Deputy US Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi. Taiwan and the US started talks under the initiative in August last year, after Taipei was left out of the Washington-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. “The deal that will be signed tonight is not only very historic,
Beijing yesterday blamed US “provocation” for an incident last week in which a Chinese plane crossed in front of a US surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea. The incident came at a time of frayed ties between Washington and Beijing over issues including Taiwan and the shooting down of an alleged Chinese spy balloon that flew over the US this year. “The United States’ long-term and frequent sending of ships and planes to conduct close surveillance on China seriously harms China’s national sovereignty and security,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning (毛寧) said when asked about the latest incident. “This
RSS