US senators John Curtis and Jeff Merkley on Wednesday reintroduced the Taiwan relations reinforcement act, a bipartisan legislation that “reaffirms US policy to support Taiwan’s democracy and its engagement with the world.”
The latest version urges Taiwan to increase investment in its defense capabilities and adopt an asymmetric defense strategy, and prioritizes negotiations on a free-trade agreement.
“Our alliance with Taiwan is one of the most strategically and morally significant partnerships America has in the Indo-Pacific, and we need to ensure our policies match our principles,” Curtis and Merkley said in a joint statement.
Photo: EPA
“The Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act will deepen our relationship with Taiwan by elevating the status of our top diplomat, incentivizing high-level cooperation and visits between our governments, and combating Chinese Communist Party disinformation campaigns targeting Taiwan,” Curtis said.
“As longstanding partners, the United States and Taiwan share a strong commitment to preserving peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Merkley said. “The United States must use all the tools at our disposal to strengthen our relationship with Taiwan, one of East Asia’s most vibrant democracies, and together advance our shared vision of a world that is built on democratic governance, human rights, and the rule of law.”
The bill would require US Senate confirmation for the director of the American Institute in Taiwan, and create and streamline an interagency policy task force for Taiwan.
It would also promote Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations while enhancing Taiwan-US cooperation in economics, trade and security.
The bill also seeks to mandate strategies to protect US businesses and non-government entities from Chinese coercion, and support Taipei’s response to Beijing’s interference in institutions and processes in Taiwan.
The updated bill follows a congressional delegation to Taiwan coled by Curtis last month.
This is the fourth time the bill has been introduced. If it advances through the US Senate, the bill would also need to be passed by the US House of Representatives and signed by the US president to become law.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS