The most recent version of the US’ National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025 includes increased support for Taiwan, US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said yesterday.
Johnson made the remarks at a news conference on Capitol Hill.
The NDAA, published on Saturday, would allow the US departments of defense and state to augment Taiwan’s military capabilities, such as anti-armor, radars, crewed and uncrewed aerial vehicles, cyberdefense, long-range precision weapons, integrated air and missile defense systems, anti-ship missiles, electronic warfare and counter-electronic warfare capabilities, secure communications equipment and other electronic protection systems.
Photo: CNA
The act authorizes a Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, modeled after the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, to enable Taiwan to maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act. And the lawmakers have proposed military articles and training worth up to US$300 million to support Taiwan in the Act.
In concurrence with the US secretary of state, the secretary of defense may provide Taiwan’s military, government and other agencies with defense articles from the US inventory and services to help the nation maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities, according to the NDAA.
The US is to establish a joint program with Taiwan on general trauma care, amputation and amputee care, and any other mental health condition associated with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries, it says.
According to Section 1324 of the act, the US Congress can invite Taiwan’s naval forces to participate in next year’s Rim of the Pacific exercise.
According to Section 5121, also known as Building Options for the Lasting Security of Taiwan through European Resolve (BOLSTER) Act, collaborations with the EU and the UK should be pursued on sanctions against the People’s Republic of China (PRC) if it overthrows or dismantles the governing institutions in Taiwan, or occupies any territory controlled or administered by Taiwan.
Imposing a naval blockade or quarantining Taiwan, seizing its outlying islands or initiating a cyberattack that threatens civilian or military infrastructure in the nation are grounds to issue sanctions, according to the BOLSTER Act.
The US president should tender a report to the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations and the House of Representatives’ Committee on Foreign Affairs on the expected economic impacts of a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) 30-day or 180-day blockade or quarantine of Taiwan, according to the NDAA.
The US and European countries should publicly and repeatedly emphasize the differences between their respective “one China” policies and the PRC’s “one China” principle to counter the PRC’s claims that UN Resolution 2758 recognizes the PRC territorial claims to Taiwan, it says.
European countries, particularly those with experience combatting Russian aggression, can provide Taiwan with lessons learned from their defense programs to mobilize the military and civilians in a time of crisis, it says.
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS