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.
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