US Senator Josh Hawley on Thursday introduced a bill that he said would “fast-track weapons to Taiwan” amid increasing tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
Hawley said in a statement that the Taiwan weapons exports act would seek to hasten the delivery of critical weapons to Taiwan by expediting congressional approval and eliminating administrative roadblocks.
He said the bill is critical to ensure Taiwan has the weapons it needs to defend itself from a possible Chinese invasion, including naval mines, anti-tank missiles and portable air defense systems.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The bill seeks to change Taiwan’s designation under the US Export Administration Regulations to “Country Group A:5” from “A:6” for the purpose of receiving a strategic trade authorization license exception.
Other countries categorized as A:5 include NATO member states, Australia, India, Japan and South Korea, the statement said.
The regulations allow the US government to impose export controls to protect national security interests and promote foreign policy objectives, the US International Trade Administration Web site says.
Hawley’s bill also seeks to expedite licensing approval of arms sales to Taiwan, the statement said.
“The [US President Joe] Biden administration waited for Russia to invade before surging lethal aid to Ukraine,” Hawley said in the statement, adding that the “mistake” could not be repeated in the Indo-Pacific region. “That’s why it is so important to fast-track weapons to Taiwan now, while Taiwan still has time to marshal its defenses and deter a Chinese invasion.”
The senator last year introduced two bills that he said were part of efforts to “deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan and strengthen US-Taiwan relations” — the Taiwan defense act and the arm Taiwan act.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked Hawley for his support for Taiwan and the nation’s security, adding that it would carefully monitor the progress of the bill.
The ministry would continue to work closely with the US government to enhance the friendship between the countries and help promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, it said.
Additional reporting by Yang Cheng-yu
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
Snow fell on Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山) yesterday morning as a continental cold air mass sent temperatures below freezing on Taiwan’s tallest peak, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Snowflakes were seen on Yushan’s north peak from 6:28am to 6:38am, but they did not fully cover the ground and no accumulation was recorded, the CWA said. As of 7:42am, the lowest temperature recorded across Taiwan was minus-5.5°C at Yushan’s Fengkou observatory and minus-4.7°C at the Yushan observatory, CWA data showed. On Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County, a low of 1.3°C was recorded at 6:39pm, when ice pellets fell at Songsyue Lodge (松雪樓), a
RSS