The US House of Representatives yesterday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which stipulates that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security.
The bill, proposed by Republican US Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against.
It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude China from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board.
Photo: Reuters
The bill makes it clear that China must be prepared to face consequences if it engages in conflict with Taiwan, Lucas said.
The US House passed similar legislation after Russia invaded Ukraine, communicating to the world that disrupting the international order bears swift and severe consequences, he said.
China has continued its aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, and the US must take a more proactive approach to clearly show Beijing that such aggression would not be tolerated, Lucas said.
The US should respond with strength and force if China attempts to invade Taiwan, imposing multiple sanctions and economic penalties, such as excluding China from international organizations, he said.
Under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, China cannot use force, coercion, boycotts or embargoes to force Taiwan to submit to the Chinese Communist Party and become part of “one China,” Republican US Representative French Hill said.
The PROTECT Taiwan Act would ensure that China pays a significant economic and diplomatic cost for attempting to invade Taiwan, Hill said.
The bill sends a clear message that the US would not tolerate China’s aggressive actions toward Taiwan, he said.
“The Chinese Communist Party shouldn’t benefit from global systems if it threatens its neighbors,” Democratic US Representative Greg Stanton wrote on X after voting for the bill.
“I voted for the bipartisan PROTECT Taiwan Act to push for China’s removal from major international orgs if it ever poses an immediate threat to Taiwan,” Stanton said.
“America must be firm, consistent, & focused on maintaining peace in the region,” he added.
The PROTECT Taiwan Act must be passed by the US Senate and then signed into law by the president to take effect.
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
The Taipei City Government yesterday confirmed that it has negotiated a royalties of NT$12.2 billion (US$380 million) with artificial intelligence (AI) chip giant Nvidia Corp, with the earliest possible signing date set for Wednesday next week. The city has been preparing for Nvidia to build its Taiwan headquarters in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park since last year, and the project has now entered its final stage before the contract is signed. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city government has completed the royalty price negotiations and would now push through the remaining procedures to sign the contract before
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania was agreed by both sides, after Lithuania’s prime minister described a 2021 decision to let Taiwan set up a de facto embassy in Vilnius as a “mistake.” Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, who entered office in September last year, told the Baltic News Service on Tuesday that Lithuania had begun taking “small first steps” aimed at restoring ties with Beijing. The ministry in a statement said that Taiwan and Lithuania are important partners that share the values of freedom and democracy. Since the establishment of the
Taipei Zoo welcomes the Lunar New Year this year through its efforts to protect an endangered species of horse native to central Asia that was once fully extinct outside of captivity. The festival ushering in the Year of the Horse would draw attention to the zoo’s four specimens of Przewalski’s horse, named for a Russian geographer who first encountered them in the late 19th century across the steppes of western Mongolia. “Visitors will look at the horses and think that since this is the Year of the Horse: ‘I want to get to know horses,’” said zookeeper Chen Yun-chieh, who has been
RSS