The US House of Representatives on Monday passed the Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act, aimed at deterring Chinese aggression toward Taiwan by threatening to publish information about Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials’ “illicit” financial assets if Beijing were to attack.
The act would also “restrict financial services for certain immediate family of such officials,” the text of the legislation says.
The bill was introduced in January last year by US representatives French Hill and Brad Sherman. After remarks from several members, it passed unanimously.
Photo: AFP
“If China chooses to attack the free people of Taiwan, [the bill] requires the Treasury secretary to publish the illicit assets of Beijing’s senior-most leaders, including the names of financial institutions and maintaining accounts,” Hill said during a speech to the House.
“Let these corrupt officials explain to ordinary Chinese citizens how they acquired their riches on a government salary,” Hill added, after suggesting that Beijing “has failed to deliver a social safety net and families are battered by sinking real-estate debt.”
“This bill goes beyond naming and shaming” as it would also “cut off access” to the US financial system for CCP officials and their “immediate family,” he said. “For Chinese officials whose families profit from their ill-gotten gains, they too will find the world becoming a much smaller place.”
The Arkansas representative said that the US’ formal diplomatic recognition of Beijing in 1979 was based on the premise that “the future of Taiwan would be determined by peaceful means.”
Any actions, including a blockade of Taiwan, would “threaten regional peace and security,” Hill said.
Sherman said that the bill “is designed to put the government of China on notice that the United States is closely watching its increasing threats toward Taiwan.”
“This bill does not focus on retaliating against the Chinese government per se, but rather on individuals who are in that government,” he said.
Sherman, who represents California’s 32nd district, said the measures stipulated in the act would only be triggered if the US president exercised their authority under Section 3 of the Taiwan Relations Act.
“I don’t expect that a triggering will ever occur, but it’s important to put Beijing on notice of what would happen if their threats against Taiwan raised to that level,” Sherman said.
In Taipei yesterday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) expressed gratitude to the US Congress for using a “creative and effective way” to deter Chinese military aggression toward Taiwan.
“This kind of legislation allows us to jointly deter Chinese communist expansion and to uphold peace in the Indo-Pacific region, especially cross-strait stability and security,” Lin said.
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
RSS