The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan.
The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House.
The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose.
Photo: AFP
The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military Financing Program, which enables its partners to purchase US defense articles, services and training, according to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
In addition, the US secretary of state, in coordination with the US secretary of defense, are required to prioritize the delivery of defense articles and services for Taiwan, the bill says.
The provisions are in line with the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act, which was consolidated into the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.
Under the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act, the US would provide up to US$10 billion in foreign military financing for Taiwan over five years from last year to 2027.
Apart from military financing, the appropriations bill states that no funding should be used to “create, procure or display any map that inaccurately depicts the territory and social and economic system of Taiwan and the islands or island groups administered by Taiwan authorities.”
It also authorizes at least US$4 million in funding for the Global Cooperation and Training Framework — a cooperation initiative established by the US and Taiwan in 2015 — under the “Economic Support Fund.”
The State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act provides a total discretionary allocation of US$51.7 billion, about 11 percent, or US$7.6 billion, less than the fiscal year 2024 enacted level, the US House Committee on Appropriations said in a news release.
Under the bill, the US would also allocate US$400 million to curb the influence of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and entities acting on its behalf through the Countering PRC Influence Fund.
Following the House’s approval of the bill, the US Senate, in which the Democratic Party holds a majority, is expected to introduce and vote on its version of the bill.
After the Senate passes its version, the two chambers would need to work out the differences in their bills before submitting a finalized version for the president to sign into law.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s