The Taiwanese government yesterday welcomed the US Senate’s passage of its annual defense spending bill, which includes a provision calling on Washington to strengthen defense and security cooperation with Taiwan.
The US Senate on Monday passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2019 with a vote of 85 to 10.
Under Section 1243 of the draft bill published by the US Senate, the US Department of Defense is urged to strengthen defense and security cooperation with Taiwan “to support the development of capable, ready and modern defense forces necessary for Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability.”
Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times
The section also calls on Washington to support the acquisition of defensive weapons by Taiwan in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act, particularly those needed for asymmetric warfare and undersea warfare, as well as to promptly review and respond to Taiwan’s requests for defense equipment.
Washington is also urged to take action to enhance the security of Taiwan through military exchanges, including US participation in appropriate Taiwanese exercises, such as the annual Han Kuang exercise, and Taiwanese participation in US drills, the bill states.
Support should also be provided to “exchanges between senior defense officials and general officers of the US and Taiwan consistent with the Taiwan Travel Act,” the bill said, referring to the act promulgated on March 16 that encourages high-level visits between US and Taiwanese officials.
The passage of the bill came weeks after the US House of Representatives passed its version of the NDAA in a 351-to-66 vote on May 24. The House version bears a few differences from that of the Senate, including a request under Section 1253 that the US secretary of defense consult with Taiwanese officials to conduct a comprehensive assessment on ways to enhance and reform Taiwan’s military forces.
It stipulates that a report should then be submitted to the appropriate US congressional committees within a year of the NDAA’s enactment, detailing a summary of the assessment and a list of recommendations and planned actions.
In addition, the House version does not call for mutual participation by US and Taiwanese officers in each other’s exercises.
The US Senate and US House of Representatives must iron out the differences before the bill can be signed by US President Donald Trump.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) yesterday expressed his gratitude to the US Congress for including military exchanges in the latest NDAA version.
“As there are some differences between the NDAA versions of the US House and the US Senate ... they will have to negotiate on the differences before the bill can be signed by President Trump,” Lee said, adding that the ministry would pay close attention to further developments.
Presidential Office spokesman Sidney Lin (林鶴明) thanked the US Senate for supporting Taiwan’s national security and attaching importance to it.
“We will continue to engage in talks with the US government’s executive branch to strengthen security cooperation between the two nations,” Lin said.
Taiwan is also conducting a systematic upgrade of its defense capability to better safeguard the nation and ensure peace and stability in the region, Lin said.
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
RSS