US Congressmen Rick Scott and Scott Perry yesterday introduced the “Taiwan PLUS Act” to strengthen US-Taiwan defense cooperation and expedite weapons delivery in the face of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intimidation.
The act would reduce the review process for requests for critical weapons from 30 days to 15 days, and boost the financial thresholds to the same levels as “NATO Plus” partners.
The current threshold for requesting major defense equipment is US$14 million, defense services US$50 million and construction support US$200 million. These would be increased to US$25 million, US$100 million, and US$300 million, respectively, a news release by bill sponsor Congressman Scott Perry said.
Photo: CNA
It would elevate Taiwan to the same status as Australia, Israel and Japan, it said.
“The Taiwan PLUS Act will cut red tape and make it faster and easier for Taiwan to purchase the weapons it needs from the US to defend itself should Communist China invade,” Senator Rick Scott said, a co-sponsor of the bill.
Taiwan was the top Foreign Military Sales customer in the fiscal year 2020 and has been Japan’s third-largest buyer since 1950, the news release said.
“As the CCP continues to escalate its hostile posture, the Taiwan PLUS Act sends a clear and unambiguous message: America stands with Taiwan, and will ensure our partners have the means to protect peace, freedom, and security in the Indo-Pacific,” it added.
The act must now pass both the US House and the Senate before being signed into law by the US President.
In other news, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday attended a full-committee hearing by the House Foreign Affairs Committee titled “FY26 State Department Posture: Protecting American Interests.”
Reforms to the Foreign Military Sales program were needed to address delays in sales and financing deals, he said.
In a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Rubio said, “Deterrence [against the CCP] obviously begins with Taiwan’s own self-defense capabilities,” adding that deterrence is then continued by having a “credible regional deterrent, not just the [US] but Japan and other allied countries around the world.”
“We have to understand that every time there’s a conflict in the Middle East or a conflict in Europe... we have to dedicate resources and time.... that we’re not dedicating to the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
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