A bill to upgrade the status of the director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) by requiring that he or she undergo the same full, formal confirmation process in the Senate as all US ambassadors was introduced in the House of Representatives on Wednesday by two of Taiwan's most ardent supporters in the legislative body.
The move came in response to efforts by the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA), which last December made the confirmation of AIT directors a priority lobbying issue for the ongoing congressional session.
The bill was introduced by representatives Tom Tancredo, a Colorado Republican and Dana Rohrabacher of California, co-chairman of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus.
Both are members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which would have jurisdiction over the legislation.
"Given the strategic importance of the US-Taiwan relationship and US obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act [TRA], Congress ought to play a role in deciding who represents US interests in Taiwan," Tancredo said.
"The Taiwan Strait is a dangerous place. So why are we applying more congressional scrutiny to who heads up our embassy in a tourist destination like Barbados than we do to who is heading our mission in Taiwan?" he asked.
The TRA created the AIT, but did not specify how the directors are appointed.
It did, however, give Congress monitoring authority over the operations of the organization.
In a "dear colleague" letter to members of the House sent earlier this week to generate co-sponsors, Tancredo said that full Senate confirmation "will put a legislative `stamp of approval' on whoever is appointed to this position in the future."
"[It] would give the legislative branch of government the same opportunity they currently have with countless other appointees to consider the qualifications and expertise of potential AIT nominees," he added.
"Perhaps most importantly, the confirmation process will provide an opportunity for the legislative and executive branches to exchange views about the ever-changing situation in the Taiwan Strait," he said.
Historically, directors have been chosen by the president on the recommendation of the State Department.
If it were to pass, the bill would require that the appointment be made with the "advice and consent of the Senate," as are all other ambassadorial positions.
The process would include a confirmation hearing and formal approval by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and approval by the full Senate.
While Taiwan has been the focus of the House committee dealing with foreign relations in recent years, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has not held a single Taiwan-related hearing since Jesse Helms' tenure.
Helms, a fervent supporter of Taiwan, retired from the chairmanship in 2001.
His successors, Republican Richard Lugar and current chairman, Democrat Joseph Biden, have not held such a hearing.
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
MUST REMAIN FREE: A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would lead to a global conflict, and if the nation blows up, the world’s factories would fall in a week, a minister said Taiwan is like Prague in 1938 facing Adolf Hitler; only if Taiwan remains free and democratic would the world be safe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The ministry on Saturday said Corriere della Sera is one of Italy’s oldest and most read newspapers, frequently covers European economic and political issues, and that Wu agreed to an interview with the paper’s senior political analyst Massimo Franco in Taipei on Jan. 3. The interview was published on Jan. 26 with the title “Taiwan like Prague in 1938 with Hitler,” the ministry