US representatives have introduced a bipartisan Taiwan Peace Through Strength Act to promote peace through strength in Taiwan, as well as expedite and prioritize US military sales to the nation.
US representatives Chris Pappas, a Democrat, and Jim Banks, a Republican, on Friday last week proposed the House’s version of the bill, following the US Senate’s version proposed by US Senator Marco Rubio on June 14.
The bill proposes “to reinforce our nation’s support of Taiwan as the island faces the increased threat of a Chinese Communist Party military attack,” a press release issued by Pappas’ office said.
Photo: Reuters
“This legislation would prioritize Taiwan’s resiliency in the face of potential conflicts and expedite the delivery of much-needed resources to ensure they have the capability to defend themselves effectively,” Pappas was quoted as saying.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) “extreme rhetoric makes it clear that lawmakers in Washington must act now to deter a Chinese invasion,” Banks said.
“Make no mistake: deterring an invasion of Taiwan must be our top priority,” Rubio said.
While the text of the proposed bill is not yet available, it would expedite and prioritize US military sales to Taiwan; establish regular combined US-Taiwan exercises, training and professional exchanges; and establish a Taiwan Critical Munitions Acquisition Fund, the press release said.
The proposed bill also clarifies that US authorities would arm Taiwan as per the Taiwan Relations Act, it added.
The US Senate’s version of the act makes amendments to the Taiwan Relations Act, allowing the US to provide “arms conducive to the deterrence of acts of aggression by the People’s Liberation Army” to Taiwan, not just “arms of a defensive character.”
The US would provide Taiwan with defense articles and defense services that allow Taiwan to “implement a strategy to deter acts of aggression by the People’s Liberation Army and to deny an invasion of Taiwan by the People’s Liberation Army,” instead of maintaining “a sufficient self-defense capability,” the proposed bill says.
The Senate’s version preclears and prioritizes military platforms, technologies, and equipment for sale and release to Taiwan through the Foreign Military Sales program.
Contractors awarded US Department of Defense contracts to provide items for such sales to Taiwan are required to expedite and prioritize the production of the items regardless of the order in which contracts were signed, the proposed bill says.
These contractors are forbidden from conducting any business in China, or with any entity that is owned by or controlled by the Chinese government or the Chinese Communist Party, or any subsidiary of such a company, it says.
The US secretary of defense should establish a high-level military planning mechanism between the US and Taiwan to oversee a joint exercise program, and coordinate military education and training exchanges, it says.
The mechanism aims to coordinate the capabilities of military forces in the US and Taiwan “to address the needs of currently anticipated and future contingencies,” it says.
The US government is required to transfer up to US$2 billion a year to the Taiwan Critical Munitions Acquisition Fund to ensure that the US’ allies and partners have adequate stocks of critical munitions in advance of a potential operation to defend Taiwan, it says.
CROSS-STRAIT COLLABORATION: The new KMT chairwoman expressed interest in meeting the Chinese president from the start, but she’ll have to pay to get in Beijing allegedly agreed to let Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) around the Lunar New Year holiday next year on three conditions, including that the KMT block Taiwan’s arms purchases, a source said yesterday. Cheng has expressed interest in meeting Xi since she won the KMT’s chairmanship election in October. A source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a consensus on a meeting was allegedly reached after two KMT vice chairmen visited China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Director Song Tao (宋濤) in China last month. Beijing allegedly gave the KMT three conditions it had to
STAYING ALERT: China this week deployed its largest maritime show of force to date in the region, prompting concern in Taipei and Tokyo, which Beijing has brushed off Deterring conflict over Taiwan is a priority, the White House said in its National Security Strategy published yesterday, which also called on Japan and South Korea to increase their defense spending to help protect the first island chain. Taiwan is strategically positioned between Northeast and Southeast Asia, and provides direct access to the second island chain, with one-third of global shipping passing through the South China Sea, the report said. Given the implications for the US economy, along with Taiwan’s dominance in semiconductors, “deterring a conflict over Taiwan, ideally by preserving military overmatch, is a priority,” it said. However, the strategy also reiterated
‘BALANCE OF POWER’: Hegseth said that the US did not want to ‘strangle’ China, but to ensure that none of Washington’s allies would be vulnerable to military aggression Washington has no intention of changing the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Saturday, adding that one of the US military’s main priorities is to deter China “through strength, not through confrontation.” Speaking at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, Hegseth outlined the US Department of Defense’s priorities under US President Donald Trump. “First, defending the US homeland and our hemisphere. Second, deterring China through strength, not confrontation. Third, increased burden sharing for us, allies and partners. And fourth, supercharging the US defense industrial base,” he said. US-China relations under
The Chien Feng IV (勁蜂, Mighty Hornet) loitering munition is on track to enter flight tests next month in connection with potential adoption by Taiwanese and US armed forces, a government source said yesterday. The kamikaze drone, which boasts a range of 1,000km, debuted at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in September, the official said on condition of anonymity. The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and US-based Kratos Defense jointly developed the platform by leveraging the engine and airframe of the latter’s MQM-178 Firejet target drone, they said. The uncrewed aerial vehicle is designed to utilize an artificial intelligence computer
RSS