The US Senate yesterday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes authorization of up to US$1 billion in funds for Taiwan-related security cooperation next year.
The legislation had already been approved by the US House of Representatives after the two chambers agreed on a compromise version of the massive bill, which covers more than US$900 billion in US national defense spending and related issues.
The bipartisan act reflects an “evolving security landscape and ensures the US remains prepared to deter adversaries like China and Russia while reinforcing vital partnerships with allies, including Taiwan,” US Senator John Curtis said in a statement yesterday.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The NDAA authorizes up to US$1 billion in funding for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, which covers aspects such as medical equipment, supply capacity and "combat casualty-care capabilities."
It also authorizes US forces to continue training Taiwan and other partner countries to counter what the legislation describes as Chinese coercion and malign influence operations.
Under the NDAA, the Pentagon is required to “enable fielding of uncrewed and anti-uncrewed systems capabilities” with Taiwan by March 1 next year.
Systems covered by the act must comply with the Taiwan Relations Act and be usable by US and Taiwanese forces, it says.
Projected costs from next year through 2030 include deployments of US Coast Guard training teams to Taiwan to improve maritime security, law-enforcement capacity and deterrence, it says.
The NDAA also incorporates the Taiwan Non-Discrimination Act, which supports Taiwan's participation in the IMF.
Last week, the Chinese embassy in Washington denounced the legislation, saying that it unfairly targeted China as an aggressor.
“The bill has kept playing up the ‘China threat’ narrative, trumpeting for military support to Taiwan, abusing state power to go after Chinese economic development, limiting trade, economic and people-to-people exchanges between China and the US, undermining China’s sovereignty, security and development interests and disrupting efforts of the two sides in stabilizing bilateral relations,” the embassy said after the legislation passed the House.
“China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this,” it said.
Additional reporting by AP
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS