Sat, Oct 04, 2025 page3

• US Senate panel to review Taiwan bills

  ALLIES: The legislation would expedite US arms sales to Taiwan, deter potential aggression from Beijing through sanctions and support Taipei’s diplomatic allies

  • By Hollie Younger / Staff writer
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  The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is to hold a hearing on Oct. 22 to review a series of bills, four of which are in support of Taiwan, the committee’s Web site says.

  The Providing Our Regional Companions with Upgraded Protection in Nefarious Environments (PORCUPINE) act would expedite US arms sales to Taiwan by placing it in the same category as NATO Plus members, such as Japan and Australia.

  As an amendment to the Arms Export Control act, the bill would shorten certification and notification periods, speed up licensing, and facilitate the transfer of military equipment.

  

  The US Capitol in Washington is pictured in an undated photograph.

  Photo: AFP

  The Taiwan International Solidarity Act seeks to counter Beijing’s attempts to distort Taiwan’s sovereignty claims.

  The Deter PRC Aggression Against Taiwan act would prepare a package of economic sanctions to be imposed on China in the event of aggression.

  The United States-Taiwan Partnership in the Americas act would support Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in Latin America and the Caribbean.

  Each bill is to undergo a line-by-line review and vote in committee before advancing to the full US Senate. For any of the measures to become law, the Senate and the US House of Representatives must pass identical versions before they are sent to the president for signature.

  As an amendment to the Arms Export Control Act, the bill would place Taiwan on the list of countries eligible for shorter certification and notification periods, expedite licenses and facilitate the transfer of military equipment.

  “The PORCUPINE Act will make it easier for us to send arms to Taiwan, quicker, while also creating a process for our closest allies and partners to do the same,” said US Senator Pete Ricketts, who introduced the bill.

  The US has a US$21 billion backlog in arms sales to Taiwan, he said.

  If passed, the act would require the US secretary of state to establish an expedited decisionmaking process for third-party transfers of defense articles and services from NATO member countries to “NATO Plus” members and Taiwan.

  The measure would also shorten the notification period to the US Congress on arms sales and raise the monetary threshold that triggers a formal notification.

  Under the act, the president would be required to notify Congress 30 days in advance of issuing a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for Foreign Military Sales involving major defense equipment valued at US$14 million or more.

  The Taiwan International Solidarity act would require the US to “oppose any attempts by the [People’s Republic of China] to resolve Taiwan’s status by distorting the decisions, language, policies or procedures of any such organization.”

  The bill says that UN Resolution 2758 of 1971, which recognized the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the only lawful representative of China at the UN, did not take a position on cross-strait relations or address the question of Taiwan’s representation.

  “The [US] opposes any initiative that seeks to change Taiwan’s status without the consent of the people of Taiwan,” it says.

  The Deter PRC Aggression Against Taiwan Act would authorize the US to “develop economic tools” and take immediate action to impose sanctions on China if it engages in military or non-military aggression against Taiwan.

  The measure would apply in the event of attempts by the PRC to overthrow or dismantle Taiwan’s government, occupy its territory, violate its territorial integrity or conduct significant military operations such as cyberattacks, a naval blockade or the seizure of outlying islands.

  The act would also require the establishment of a PRC sanctions task force to deploy sanctions and related economic measures against China’s financial and industrial sectors, and issue annual reports and coordinate with allies to maximize pressure while mitigating global economic fallout.

  The bill also calls for the US and its partners to coordinate measures to provide economic support to Taiwan and to other countries threatened by Beijing.

  The United States-Taiwan Partnership in the Americas act would support the seven countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that maintain official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, and counter efforts by the PRC to sever such ties.

  The US “has an interest in ensuring countries in Latin America and the Caribbean can make sovereign foreign policy decisions free from coercion or financial manipulation by the [PRC],” the bill says.

  The act would also “deepen coordination with Taiwan on its development and economic engagement in the Western Hemisphere,” it says.
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