US Senator Rick Scott and US Representative Guy Reschenthaler on Thursday reintroduced in the US Congress the Taiwan invasion prevention act, aiming to boost Taiwan’s ability to resist Chinese aggression.
While the bill was introduced last year by Scott and former US representative Ted Yoho, it was not listed onto the formal agenda in the run-up to the US presidential election in November last year.
“We can’t sit back and let Communist China continue to threaten our democratic ally Taiwan,” Scott, a Republican, wrote on Twitter, urging US President Joe Biden and other Democractic senators to “take a stand for democracy” and join him in passing the bill.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“The Biden Administration’s appeasement policy toward Communist China is dangerous,” Scott also said in a news release.
There would be “devastating consequences” for the national security of the US and its allies if Biden fails to stand up to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), he added.
The bill “empowers and strengthens Taiwan by calling for a free trade agreement, increasing security cooperation with the US, and authorizing the [US] president to use military force to defend Taiwan against a direct attack,” Reschenthaler, also a Republican, said in separate news release.
It would establish limited authorization for the US president to use military force for the specific purpose of securing and protecting Taiwan against an armed attack, the two lawmakers said.
It would set up a series of security dialogues and combined military exercises between the US, Taiwan and like-minded security partners, they added.
The bill advises Taiwan to dedicate additional domestic resources toward its own defense, including the acquisition of asymmetric defensive weapons, reform of Taiwan’s reserve system, and engagement with the US on cyberdefense activities, they said.
It also encourages the US president or secretary of state to meet with the “President of Taiwan on Taiwan soil” and welcomes the President of Taiwan to address a joint meeting of the US Congress, they said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday welcomed the move by US lawmakers.
The Biden administration has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitments to the Taiwan Relations Act and “six assurances” to Taiwan, and described bilateral ties as “rock-solid,” ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement.
The ministry will continue to watch the bill’s progress, while staying in close contact with the US Congress and administration to deepen bilateral partnerships, she added.
The Grand Hotel Taipei on Saturday confirmed that its information system had been illegally accessed and expressed its deepest apologies for the concern it has caused its customers, adding that the issue is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau. The hotel said that on Tuesday last week, it had discovered an external illegal intrusion into its information system. An initial digital forensic investigation confirmed that parts of the system had been accessed, it said, adding that the possibility that some customer data were stolen and leaked could not be ruled out. The actual scope and content of the affected data
‘LIKE-MINDED PARTNER’: Tako van Popta said it would be inappropriate to delay signing the deal with Taiwan because of China, adding he would promote the issue Canadian senators have stressed Taiwan’s importance for international trade and expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the Taiwan-Canada trade cooperation framework agreement is implemented this year. Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) in an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) said he was increasingly uneasy about Ottawa’s delays in signing the agreement, especially as Ottawa has warmed toward Beijing. There are “no negotiations left. Not only [is it] initialed, we have three versions of the text ready: English, French and Mandarin,” Tseng said. “That tells you how close we are to the final signature.” Tseng said that he hoped Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT: Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the meeting next month, Japanese sources said The holding of a Japan-US leaders’ meeting ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China is positive news for Taiwan, former Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association representative Hiroyasu Izumi said yesterday. After the Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in Japan’s House of Representatives election, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to visit the US next month, where she is to meet with Trump ahead of the US president’s planned visit to China from March 31 to April 2 for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday bestowed one of Taiwan’s highest honors on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Ambassador Andrea Clare Bowman in recognition of her contributions to bilateral ties. “By conferring the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on Ambassador Bowman today, I want to sincerely thank her, on behalf of the Taiwanese people, for her outstanding contribution to deepening diplomatic ties between Taiwan and SVG,” Lai said at a ceremony held at the Presidential Office in Taipei. He noted that Bowman became SVG’s first ambassador to Taiwan in 2019 and
RSS