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.
SOLIDARITY: A group of European lawmakers condemned China’s aggressive moves, while the foreign minister of Lithuania said Taiwan ‘cannot become a second Ukraine’ A German parliamentary delegation would visit Taiwan in the first week of October, German lawmaker Holger Becker on Monday told visiting Democratic Progressive Party legislators Fan Yun (范雲) and Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) at the Bundestag in Berlin. Asked by Fan whether he is worried about possible reprisals from Beijing, such as banning him and his family from entering China, Becker said he is more interested in visiting Taiwan, as “now is the time for democracies to stand together.” Fan and Lin also met with German officials to exchange views on digital education and governance. Investing in digital infrastructure and protecting equal rights to
‘IRRATIONAL ACTS’: The defense ministry condemned the drills, during which China tested successors to missiles deployed during the Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1995 and 1996 China yesterday fired several Dongfeng ballistic missiles as it began four days of unprecedented military drills off Taiwan proper following US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei the previous day. On Tuesday, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) said Beijing would “take all necessary measures” in retaliation should Pelosi visit Taiwan during her Asia tour. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from 1:56pm to 4pm fired 11 Dongfeng missiles into waters north, east and south of Taiwan proper, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Taiwanese armed forces, using “forward warning and surveillance mechanisms,” monitored the missile tests
ANNEXATION PLANS: Remarks by the Chinese ambassador to France showed that Beijing seeks to normalize genocide, re-education and gulags, a US official said European and US officials condemned comments from Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye (盧沙野), after he on Wednesday said that Taiwanese would be “re-educated” after any annexation by China. In an interview on French television, Lu accused the Democratic Progressive Party of “extremist” propaganda and turning Taiwanese against “reunification” with China. “We will re-educate. I’m sure that the Taiwanese population will again become favorable of the reunification and will become patriots again,” Lu told BFM TV. The term “re-education” has been used to describe Chinese authorities’ treatment of Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang. European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defense Chairwoman
‘SIMULATED ATTACKS’: Ten warships each from China and Taiwan were maneuvering at close quarters in the Taiwan Strait, with some Chinese vessels crossing the median line Taiwan yesterday reiterated that it would not succumb to pressure from Beijing after China carried out its most provocative military drills in decades in retaliation for US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan last week. “We will never bow to pressure. We uphold freedom and democracy, and believe Taiwanese disapprove [of] China’s bullying actions with force and saber rattling at our door,” Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday. China had “arrogantly” disrupted regional peace and stability, he said, calling on Beijing to not flex its military muscles. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has also called on the international community to “support