The Pacific Partnership Act, unanimously passed by the US House of Representatives on Monday, aims to bolster cooperation with Taiwan and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), its backers said.
Introduced by US Representative Ed Case early this year, the bill emphasizes the importance of US collaboration with key allies and partners, including Taiwan, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, as well as regional organizations such as the PIF.
Unlike other bills introduced recently, such as the Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act, the Pacific Partnership Act does not explicitly target China.
Photo: AFP
Instead, it requires the US president and the US secretary of state to develop a Pacific partnership strategy, focusing on the region’s vulnerabilities to threats such as natural disasters, foreign military actions, economic coercion and corruption.
The PIF, which is mentioned multiple times in the Pacific act, has become a diplomatic flashpoint between Taiwan and China. The south Pacific has long been a contested area of influence for both nations, with the PIF as a critical platform.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) last month attended the forum, as did Chinese Special Envoy for Pacific Island Countries Affairs Qian Bo (錢波).
The Solomon Islands sought to block Taiwan’s participation in future forums, reports said.
A draft communique reaffirming Taiwan’s status was reportedly removed due to pressure from China.
During discussions on the Pacific Partnership Act, US Representative Amata Coleman Radewagen said that China’s influence was growing in the region, pointing to its 2022 security agreement with the Solomon Islands.
The bill calls for coordinated US efforts with allies to ensure effective aid programs in the Pacific without duplication, Radewagen said.
Although the bill has cleared the House, it faces a narrow window for approval by the US Senate, given US presidential elections in November and a congressional recess.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
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