The US Senate on Wednesday passed a bill promoting closer ties with Taiwan, which Beijing has warned could threaten stability in the Taiwan Strait, but drew praise from Taipei, which pledged to deepen cooperation.
The US Senate unanimously passed the Taiwan Travel Act. In January, the bill passed the US House of Representatives without opposition.
The legislation now only needs US President Donald Trump’s signature to become law.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
It should be US policy to allow US officials at all levels to travel to Taiwan to meet their Taiwanese counterparts, permit high-level Taiwanese officials to enter the US “under respectful conditions” and meet with US officials, and encourage Taiwanese economic and cultural representatives to conduct business in the US, the bill says.
White House officials did not immediately respond when asked if Trump planned to sign the legislation.
It would be unusual for a president to veto a measure that has passed unanimously.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked the US for its unanimous support for the bill, and its increasingly friendly and open attitude toward Taiwan.
“The ministry will continue to develop an even more substantive cooperative relationship with the US, to promote both sides’ joint values and mutually beneficial interests,” it said.
The Presidential Office said the US was its most important international ally, and that it would discuss the matter with the US and further strengthen relations.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took to Twitter to express her gratitude, saying that the bill symbolizes the US Congress’ long-standing support of Taiwan, and that the Taiwan-US partnership is a key pillar of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
However, lawmakers yesterday said that Taiwan should not be “overly optimistic” about Taiwan-US relations following the passing of the bill, with some suggesting that Trump signing the legislation could escalate tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應), who serves on the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, said the bill is important in eliminating barriers to visits by high-level officials, but it is not something that would happen overnight.
He compared the development of Taiwan-US relations to stacking blocks, saying it is a process that takes time, so Taiwan would need to be patient and not expect high-level US officials to visit as soon as the bill is signed.
DPP Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said that the bill would definitely elevate cooperation between Taiwan and the US, but it really depends on how Washington chooses to execute it.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), who is also on the foreign affairs committee, said the Chinese government is certain to respond.
In the long term, China could continue to limit Taiwan’s international participation to keep the US in check, he said.
The US has used arms sales to Taiwan and its support of Taiwan as leverage in its negotiations with China, Chiang said.
The act could serve as another card in the US’ negotiation strategy, depending on how Washington chooses to play it, he said.
Given that Trump’s signing of the bill could escalate tensions across the Taiwan Strait, whether it helps or hinders the nation remains to be seen, he said.
In Beijing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) said that while some of the new bill’s provisions are not legally binding, it “seriously violates” the “one China” principle.
“China is strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposes it,” Hua told a regular news briefing.
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability. The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary, to maintain order and stability in the foreign exchange market. The remarks came as the NT dollar yesterday closed up NT$0.919 to NT$30.145 against the US dollar in Taipei trading, after rising as high as NT$29.59 in intraday trading. The local currency has surged 5.85 percent against the greenback over the past two sessions, central
RSS