Three of four co-chairmen of the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus have urged Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman-elect Ma Ying-jeou (
The US lawmakers' request came in a letter to Ma congratulating him on his landslide July 16 election.
"We urge you, as the new chairman of the KMT, to lead efforts in Taipei to ensure that the Legislative Yuan quickly passes a special arms procurement package or increases its annual defense spending," the letter said.
"We believe as you do that cooperation between Taipei and Washington is paramount to Taiwan's security and is in the mutual interest of both nations," it said.
Three of the four caucus co-chairmen signed the letter. They were Republican Representative Steve Chabot and Democratic representatives Sherrod Brown and Robert Wexler. Not signing the letter was Republican Representative Dana Rohrabacher, one of the most ardent pro-Taiwan legislators in Washington.
The Formosan Association for Public Affairs, a pro-independence lobby group that released the letter, offered no explanation for Rohrabacher's failure to sign.
In the letter, the three co-chairmen invited Ma to Washington next month to "address members of the caucus and engage in a dialogue concerning US-Taiwan relations."
"Given the myriad of complex and difficult issues facing the United States and Taiwan in the coming years," the letter said, "we believe your visit would be a positive step towards enhancing this historic partnership."
The caucus leaders said they wanted to assure Ma that the US was "fully committed to the security, prosperity and future of the people of Taiwan."
They added that, "We know you value the long-standing relationship between the United States and Taiwan, a relationship that has grown stronger in recent years."
The letter is the latest in a string of efforts by Bush administration officials and congressmen to get Taipei to approve the arms package, which includes up to eight diesel-electric submarines, three PAC-III anti-missile batteries and 12 P-3C anti-submarine reconnaissance aircraft.
It also comes in the wake of the latest Pentagon report on China's military buildup, which identifies a rising threat toward Taiwan, and in the wake of growing feeling among military experts in Washington that China may already have gained the military equipment and expertise to launch a successful attack on Taiwan while parrying US efforts to intervene.
Earlier this year, 33 US legislators sent a letter to Lien urging him to cease blocking the special arms package. But Lien spurned that request.
also see story:
Ma says he is not against arms deal
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
SENATE RECOMMENDATION: The National Defense Authorization Act encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s navy to participate in the exercises in Hawaii The US Senate on Thursday last week passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, which strongly encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s naval forces to participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, as well as allocating military aid of US$1 billion for Taiwan. The bill, which authorizes appropriations for the military activities of the US Department of Defense, military construction and other purposes, passed with 77 votes in support and 20 against. While the NDAA authorizes about US$925 billion of defense spending, the Central News Agency yesterday reported that an aide of US
NATIONAL DAY: The ‘Taiwan Dome’ would form the centerpiece of new efforts to bolster air defense and be modeled after Israel’s ‘Iron Dome,’ sources said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday pledged to strengthen the nation’s air defense capabilities and build a “T-Dome” system to create a safety net against growing military threats from China. “We will accelerate our building of the T-Dome, establish a rigorous air defense system in Taiwan with multi-layered defense, high-level detection and effective interception, and weave a safety net for Taiwan to protect the lives and property of citizens,” he said in his National Day address. In his keynote address marking the Republic of China’s (ROC) 114th anniversary, Lai said the lessons of World War II have taught nations worldwide “to ensure that
RSS