The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the US for its support for Taiwan, after US President Donald Trump signed legislation aimed at enhancing the US’ influence in the Indo-Pacific region and reaffirming Washington’s commitment to Taiwan, particularly arms sales.
The timing of the signing was especially significant, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act, the ministry said, adding that Taiwan looks forward to deepening its ties with the US, as well as cooperation with like-minded nations in the region to promote peace, prosperity and stability.
Trump on Monday signed into law the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act and 12 other bills, the White House announced, although the US president seemed eager to make clear he would not be constrained by the bill’s demands that the US be more engaged in the region.
Photo: CNA / Photo provided by the White House
“Several provisions of the act ... purport to dictate the policy of the United States in external military and foreign affairs, or to require the executive branch to undertake certain diplomatic initiatives with international partners,” Trump said in a statement. “My administration will treat these provisions consistent with the president’s exclusive constitutional authorities as commander in chief and as the sole representative of the United States in foreign affairs.”
The bill was introduced in April by US senators Cory Gardner, Ed Markey, Marco Rubio and Ben Cardin.
It serves as a policy framework to enhance US leadership in the Indo-Pacific region and to demonstrate a commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and rules-based international order, Gardner said.
Section 209 of the bill states that it is the policy of the US to support the close economic, political and security relationship with Taiwan.
It is US policy “to faithfully enforce” all existing US government commitments to Taiwan, consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, the three US-China joint communiques and the “six assurances” agreed to by former US president Ronald Reagan, the bill says.
It further reiterates US policy as countering efforts to change the “status quo” and supporting “peaceful resolution acceptable to both sides of the Taiwan Strait.”
On arms sales to Taiwan, the act says that the US president should conduct regular transfers of defense articles to Taiwan that are tailored to meet the existing and likely future threats from the People’s Republic of China.
That should include “supporting the efforts of Taiwan to develop and integrate asymmetric capabilities, as appropriate, including mobile and cost-effective capabilities, into its military forces,” the bill says.
It also urges the US president to encourage the travel of high-level US officials to Taiwan, in accordance with the Taiwan Travel Act.
Additional reporting by Lu Yi-hsuan
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work
KONG-REY: A woman was killed in a vehicle hit by a tree, while 205 people were injured as the storm moved across the nation and entered the Taiwan Strait Typhoon Kong-rey slammed into Taiwan yesterday as one of the biggest storms to hit the nation in decades, whipping up 10m waves, triggering floods and claiming at least one life. Kong-rey made landfall in Taitung County’s Chenggong Township (成功) at 1:40pm, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The typhoon — the first in Taiwan’s history to make landfall after mid-October — was moving north-northwest at 21kph when it hit land, CWA data showed. The fast-moving storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 184kph, with gusts of up to 227kph, CWA data showed. It was the same strength as Typhoon Gaemi, which was the most
RSS