A bipartisan group of US lawmakers on Monday reintroduced the Taiwan International Solidarity Act in the House of Representatives after the pro-Taiwan legislation stalled in the Senate in 2023.
The act “encourages the US to work with allies and partners to oppose the People’s Republic of China’s efforts to undermine Taiwan’s diplomatic relationships and partnerships globally,” said a press release from the office of US Representative Gerry Connolly, a Democrat who introduced the bill.
The legislation “clarifies” that UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 — which Beijing has cited as a legal basis for its territorial claim over Taiwan — “does not preclude the United States from using its vote, voice and influence to resist the reckless campaign against Taiwan’s place on the world stage,” the press release said.
Photo: AFP
Connolly said the bill is built on the 2019 Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative Act to counter China’s “weaponization” of international organizations, and “stand in solidarity with the wishes and best interests of the people of Taiwan.”
The draft bill would require the US government “to use the voice, vote and influence of the United States” to “advocate ... to resist the People’s Republic of China’s efforts to distort the decisions, language, policies or procedures of [international] organizations regarding Taiwan.”
“Taiwan has a track record of success in democracy and global health security, and its perspective deserves to be heard,” said US Representative Young Kim, a Republican who cosponsored the bill.
Kim, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, said the act helps demonstrate “through meaningful action” US support for Taiwan’s status in international organizations.
“Taiwan’s participation in global conversation is the world’s gain,” Kim was quoted as saying.
The bill is cosponsored by Democrats Ami Bera, Dina Titus, Steve Cohen, Thomas Suozzi, Dave Min, Josh Gottheimer and Brad Sherman, and Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick and Michael Lawler, the press release said.
According to US legislative procedures, the bill will next enter the committee review stage and must pass the House and Senate before it can be signed into law by the president.
FORCED LABOR: A US court listed three Taiwanese and nine firms based in Taiwan in its indictment, with eight of the companies registered at the same address Nine companies registered in Taiwan, as well as three Taiwanese, on Tuesday were named by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) as a result of a US federal court indictment. The indictment unsealed at the federal court in Brooklyn, New York, said that Chen Zhi (陳志), a dual Cambodian-British national, is being indicted for fraud conspiracy, money laundering and overseeing Prince Holding Group’s forced-labor scam camps in Cambodia. At its peak, the company allegedly made US$30 million per day, court documents showed. The US government has seized Chen’s noncustodial wallet, which contains
SUPPLY CHAIN: Taiwan’s advantages in the drone industry include rapid production capacity that is independent of Chinese-made parts, the economic ministry said The Executive Yuan yesterday approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion (US$1.44 billion) into domestic production of uncrewed aerial vehicles over the next six years, bringing Taiwan’s output value to more than NT$40 billion by 2030 and making the nation Asia’s democratic hub for the drone supply chain. The proposed budget has NT$33.8 billion in new allocations and NT$10.43 billion in existing funds, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. Under the new development program, the public sector would purchase nearly 100,000 drones, of which 50,898 would be for civil and government use, while 48,750 would be for national defense, it said. The Ministry of
SENATE RECOMMENDATION: The National Defense Authorization Act encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s navy to participate in the exercises in Hawaii The US Senate on Thursday last week passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, which strongly encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s naval forces to participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, as well as allocating military aid of US$1 billion for Taiwan. The bill, which authorizes appropriations for the military activities of the US Department of Defense, military construction and other purposes, passed with 77 votes in support and 20 against. While the NDAA authorizes about US$925 billion of defense spending, the Central News Agency yesterday reported that an aide of US
UNITED: The other candidates congratulated Cheng on her win, saying they hoped the new chair could bring the party to victory in the elections next year and in 2028 Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday won the party’s chair election with 65,122 votes, or 50.15 percent of the votes. It was the first time Cheng, 55, ran for the top KMT post, and she is the second woman to hold the post of chair, following Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), who served from 2016 to 2017. Cheng is to succeed incumbent Eric Chu (朱立倫) on Nov. 1 for a four-year term. Cheng said she has spoken with the other five candidates and pledged to maintain party unity, adding that the party would aim to win the elections next year and
RSS