By an overwhelming 400-18 vote, the US House of Representatives Thursday approved a resolution reaffirming the US' "unwavering commitment" to the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act that established Washington's unofficial ties to Taiwan after the Carter administration switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in December 1978.
The resolution supports a strong defense commitment to Taiwan, encourages further cross-strait dialogue and argues in favor of increased visits by Taiwan officials to the US.
It also expresses Washington's "grave concern" over China's missile buildup across the Taiwan Strait, and urges the president to raise this concern with Chinese leaders.
The vote was aimed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the TRA, which came in April.
"Congress reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act as the cornerstone of United States relations with Taiwan," the resolution, which is not binding, said.
The bill said it "is and will continue to be" US policy to "further encourage and expand extensive commercial, cultural and other relations" between Washington and Taiwan over the coming quarter century. It calls the Chinese missile buildup a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific, and pledges to make available to Taiwan "defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability."
The bill also notes that the TRA requires Washington to "maintain the capacity to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or social or economic system, of the people of Taiwan."
In turn, the House bill urges the US government to encourage Taiwan to "devote sufficient financial resources to the defense of their island."
During a debate on the bill on the House floor Wednesday, a small but vocal group of opponents to the bill raised questions about the obligations it makes for Washington to defend Taiwan militarily.
Representative Ron Paul, a Texas Republican, likened the bill to a commitment to an "entangling alliance" which the US' first president, George Washington, warned against in his farewell address more than two centuries ago.
"I do not believe that we or a generation 25 years ago has the moral right to obligate another generation to such an overwhelming commitment," such as a war with China, "especially if it does not involve an attack on our national security," he said.
"Frankly, it is a stretch to say that settling that dispute over there [between China and Taiwan] has something to do with an attack on our national security," he said, adding that "the Constitution does not give us the authority to assume responsibility for everybody."
Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat, argued that the TRA "must not be considered a blank check to commit US forces to defend any pursuit of independence by political leaders in Taiwan ... I cannot and I will not support an ambiguous resolution that could one day serve as a premise to commit American sons and daughters to defend the reckless political actions of Taiwan['s] leaders," she said.
Taiwan's supporters, however, praised the TRA. New Jersey Republican Christopher Smith called the TRA "one of Congress' most important and enduring pieces of legislation," that has ensured Taiwan's security and "exceeded expectations."
"It is my hope," he said, "that increasingly warmer cross-strait relations will ultimately transcend the need for the Taiwan Relations Act."
Tom Lantos, a California Democrat, who is the top Democrat on the House International Relations Committee and a sponsor of the bill, described Taiwan's democratization as "sort of the American dream in foreign policy."
Lantos, a holocaust survivor, stressed the US defense commitment to Taiwan.
"To ensure that the Taiwanese people are not forced into an unwise deal with Beijing, we must continue to support Taiwan's legitimate defense need, and the leadership of Taiwan must devote sufficient funds to defending their country," he said.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College