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.
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” Wu wrote on X. In a separate post, he said Beijing was coercing Taiwan’s maritime domain, calling it illegal and provocative, after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) expelled a
RSS