The US Congress was expected to start voting on a massive military policy bill including authorization of up to US$10 billion in security assistance and fast-tracked weapons procurement for Taiwan.
The compromise version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) does not include some controversial provisions of Taiwan legislation lawmakers proposed this year, including sanctions in the event of “significant escalation in aggression” against Taiwan by China, or a proposal that Taiwan be treated as a “major non-NATO ally.”
Beijing responded angrily when the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations approved broader Taiwan legislation in September, despite concern within US President Joe Biden’s administration that the bill could go too far in heightening tensions with China.
Photo: AP
The Senate and US House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services unveiled the NDAA late on Tuesday.
The US$858 billion military policy bill is expected to pass Congress and be signed into law this month.
The “Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act” included in the NDAA authorizes appropriations for military grant assistance for Taiwan of up to US$2 billion per year from next year through 2027, if the US secretary of state certifies that Taiwan increased its defense spending.
It includes a new foreign military financing loan guarantee authority and other measures to fast-track Taiwan’s weapons procurement, as well as the creation of a training program to improve Taiwan’s defense.
“Taiwan’s democracy remains the beating heart to our Indo-Pacific strategy, and the depth and strength of our commitment to the people of Taiwan is stronger than ever,” said US Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the foreign relations committee and sponsor of the Taiwan legislation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its gratitude for the “continued strong support for Taiwan’s security,” adding that it looked forward to the legislation being passed.
China staged military exercises near Taiwan in August after a visit to Taipei by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and has continued its military activities, although on a reduced scale.
Nine Chinese military aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and another two entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone between 6am on Wednesday and 6am yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense said.
Over the 24 hours, 27 aircraft and four naval vessels belonging to the People’s Liberation Army were active in the vicinity of Taiwan, with nine of the aircraft crossing the median line, which for many years functioned as a de facto maritime border, the defense ministry said in a statement.
The armed forces have tasked combat air patrol aircraft, navy vessels and land-based missile systems in response to the incursions, it added.
Earlier this week, the US Department of State approved the potential sale of US$428 million in aircraft parts to Taiwan to help its air force, which is strained from repeatedly intercepting Chinese jets operating around Taiwan.
Passed every year since 1961, the NDAA addresses everything from soldiers’ pay increases and how many aircraft can be purchased to strategies for addressing geopolitical threats.
The compromise version of the NDAA followed months of negotiations between Republicans and Democrats in the Senate and House.
Additional reporting by CNA
Taiwan does not exclude the possibility of having formal diplomatic relations with countries that also have formal ties with China, regardless of Beijing’s stance, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said on Sunday. There was speculation in 2012 that Honduras was attempting to have simultaneous diplomatic relations with Taiwan and China, an idea that then-minister of foreign affairs David Lin (林永樂) rejected. Honduras severed formal ties with Taiwan on Sunday morning after establishing diplomatic relations with Beijing. President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration has taken a more practical approach to relations with like-minded countries since assuming government in 2016. Previous administrations took the
WASHED ASHORE: Of the 16 bodies discovered along Taiwan’s west coast this month, two were Vietnamese and five were Taiwanese, coast guard officials said Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang (蔡清祥) said that he has instructed prosecutors and maritime authorities to launch investigations after 16 bodies were found along Taiwan’s west coast this month, amid speculation that they were victims of smuggling or human trafficking rings. Coast Guard Administration (CGA) officials said the bodies, most of which had washed ashore, were found by coast guard personnel and local residents along the coastline from Keelung to Kaohsiung. Thirteen of the bodies are male and three are female, the CGA said, adding that items found on the bodies indicate that two of the men were Vietnamese, while three men
TASK FORCE DISPATCHED: MOFA said it would assist state employees with repatriation or relocation to other ally nations in the region after Tegucigalpa severed ties The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Monday ordered Honduras to vacate its embassy in Taiwan within 30 days of Sunday after Tegucigalpa made a similar demand of Taiwan. Taipei on Monday announced that it had cut ties with Honduras after the Central American nation earlier said in a statement that it had established ties with Beijing and ended its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan. Following the announcements, Honduran Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Garcia spoke on Honduran television saying that Taiwan would be required to vacate its embassy in the Honduran capital. In Taipei, MOFA later told a news conference that “according
CHINA TRIP: The former president said he hoped the two sides of the Taiwan Strait would work together to pursue peace, avoid war and strive to ‘revitalize China’ Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday began a 12-day tour of China with a visit to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing. He paid tribute to Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙), a founder of the Republic of China, giving a short speech and then bowing in front of the memorial. “The people of both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the Chinese nation, are children of Yandi (炎帝) and Huangdi (黃帝),” he told reporters who had been allowed to follow him on the trip, referring to figures said to have founded of the Han ethnicity in ancient China. Ma has framed the trip as
RSS