Members of the US House of Representatives have proposed 34 Taiwan-related amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024, calling on the US to invite Taiwan to conduct joint military exercises and establish a war reserve stock program.
The US House and Senate are deliberating on the NDAA after both of their armed services committees passed their own versions of the bill last month.
According to the Web site of the House Committee on Rules, 1,399 proposed amendments were submitted by the deadline on Friday last week.
Photo: Reuters
In addition to inviting Taiwan to join next year’s Rim of the Pacific exercise, US Representative Andy Ogles said that the “US-Taiwan relationship would benefit from having President Tsai [Ing-wen (蔡英文)] address a joint meeting of the United States Congress.”
US Representative Mike Gallagher, chairman of the US House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, and others called on the US secretary of defense to strengthen working-level communication between the US and Taiwan, such as conducting joint exercises and exchanging operation tactics, techniques and procedures.
Gallagher also proposed that the US should evaluate the provision of defense support for Taiwan, launch a war reserve stock program and study the feasibility of establishing a combined planning group with Taiwan.
An amendment proposed by US Representative Tom Tiffany would prohibit the US Department of Defense from creating, procuring or displaying any map that depicts Taiwan or its outlying islands as part of the territory of China.
Taiwan must not be referred to as anything other than Taiwan in publications or on departmental and agency Web sites, US Representative Scott Perry proposed.
Members of the US military and Department of Defense employees should be exempted “from arbitrary, self-imposed State Department restrictions on official travel to Taiwan and normal communication with Taiwanese officials,” Tiffany proposed.
US Representative Ann Wagner asked the government to regularly review its Taiwan contact guidelines to see if they accomplish the objectives set out in the Taiwan Assurance Act and the Taiwan Relations Act, and identify “opportunities to lift self-imposed restrictions on relations with Taiwan.”
If Taiwan is neither a member nor observer of the WHO and had not participated in the preceding World Health Assembly, funds authorized or appropriated under the NDAA should not be made available to the WHO, US Representative Dave Joyce’s amendment says.
Cross-party representatives Young Kim, Al Green and Michael Lawler urged the US governor of the IMF “to vigorously advocate for Taiwan’s admission into the IMF as a member.”
US representatives Tony Gonzales and Mariannette Miller-Meeks called for a report on the feasibility of establishing a US Customs and Border Patrol pre-clearance facility in Taiwan, which would expedite travel to the US.
After the full House and Senate have passed their versions of the bill, both chambers are to negotiate a final compromise version before sending it to the US president to be signed.
Additional reporting by CNA
CLOSURES: Several forest recreation areas have been closed as a precaution, while some ferry and flight services have been suspended or rescheduled A land warning for Tropical Storm Danas was issued last night at 8:30pm, as the storm’s outer bands began bringing heavy rain to southeastern regions, including Hualien and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島), according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). As of 9:15pm, the storm was approximately 330km west-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, moving north-northeast at 10-20kph, the CWA reported. A sea warning had already been issued at 8:30am yesterday. The storm had maximum sustained winds near its center of 83kph, with gusts of up to 108kph, according to the CWA. As of 9:30pm last night, Kaohsiung, Tainan,
POWERFUL DETERRENT: Precision fire and dispersed deployment of units would allow Taiwanese artillery to inflict heavy casualties in an invasion, a researcher said The nation’s military has boosted its self-defense capability with the establishment of a new company equipped with the US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The company, part of the army’s 58th Artillery Command, is Taiwan’s first HIMARS unit. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄), who presided over the formation ceremony in Taichung on Friday, called the unit a significant addition to the nation’s defensive strength, saying it would help deter adversaries from starting a war. The unit is made up of top-performing soldiers who received training in the US, according to the Ministry of National Defense. The HIMARS can be equipped with
STRONG WINDS: Without the Central Mountain Range as a shield, people should be ready for high-speed winds, CWA weather forecaster Liu Yu-chi said Danas was yesterday upgraded to a typhoon and could grow stronger as it moves closely along the nation’s west coastline, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Hsinchu and Chiayi cities, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou, Chiayi, Penghu and Pingtung counties have canceled work and school today. Work and school in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, and Yilan, Taitung, Hualien, Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties would continue as usual, although offices and schools would be closed in Taoyuan’s Luju (蘆竹), Dayuan (大園), Guangyin (觀音) and Sinwu (新屋) districts. As of 5pm yesterday, the typhoon’s
UNILATERAL: The move from China’s aviation authority comes despite a previous 2015 agreement that any changes to flight paths would be done by consensus The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday slammed Beijing for arbitrarily opening the M503 flight route’s W121 connecting path, saying that such unilateral conduct disrespected the consensus between both sides and could destabilize the Taiwan Strait and the wider region. The condemnation came after the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) earlier yesterday announced it “has activated the W121 connecting path of the M503 flight route,” meaning that west-to-east flights are now permitted along the path. The newly activated west-to-east route is intended to “alleviate the pressure caused by the increase of flights,” China’s state-run Xinhua news agency quoted China’s Taiwan Affairs Office
RSS