Four US senators on Thursday reintroduced a draft bill to ensure that Taiwan is recognized internationally, as China increases efforts to limit Taipei’s participation on the global scene and poach its diplomatic allies.
US senators Cory Gardner, Marco Rubio, John Cornyn and Chris Coons renewed efforts to pass the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative Act, or the TAIPEI Act, which would require the US government to engage with governments worldwide in a bid to support Taiwan’s diplomatic recognition and strengthen unofficial ties with Taiwan.
The bill, first introduced in September last year, says that 90 days after its enactment and every 180 days thereafter the “secretary of state or a designee of the secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on actions taken by the US to reaffirm and strengthen Taiwan’s international alliances around the world.”
Photo: Bloomberg
The number of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies has fallen to 17 since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office and China lured the Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso and El Salvador away, the bill says, adding that it would authorize the US Department of State to downgrade ties with any government that take actions unfavorable to Taiwan, as well as suspending or adjusting foreign assistance to such governments.
According to the draft, the US government should help Taiwan gain participation in international organizations, either as a member or an observer, and express its support for Taiwan’s participation on the global stage when interacting with Beijing.
The TAIPEI Act continues Washington’s commitment to Taiwan’s security by conducting “regular transfers of defense articles to Taiwan that are tailored to meet the existing and likely future threat” from China.
It also mentions the Taiwan Travel Act, which was signed into law by US President Donald Trump on March 16 last year to encourage mutual visits between Taiwanese and US officials.
“The US should use every tool to support Taiwan’s standing on the international stage,” Gardner said in a statement issued by the senators who sponsored the bill.
“This bipartisan legislation demands a whole-of-government approach to stand up to China’s bullying tactics and will send a strong message to nations that there will be consequences for supporting Chinese actions that undermine Taiwan,” he said.
Rubio said in the statement that he was proud to join his colleagues in reintroducing the legislation that reaffirmed the US’ commitment to its relationship with Taiwan and would allow the department to take diplomatic action against governments that alter diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of China.
“China’s efforts to isolate Taiwan by bullying and pressuring countries, especially in our own hemisphere, cannot go unanswered,” Rubio said.
There was strong, bipartisan support for Taiwan’s free-market democracy and its diplomatic relationships around the world, Coons said, adding that the bill confirmed that.
“Taiwan is a success story in its region, and both now and in the future, the US must continue to emphasize the strength of US-Taiwan ties and maintain the status quo regarding Taiwan’s place in the international community,” Coons said.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday established a friendship group with their counterparts in Ukraine to promote parliamentary exchanges between the two countries. A ceremony in Taipei for the Taiwan-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Association, initiated by DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), was attended by lawmakers and officials, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) and European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Director Lutz Gullner. The increasingly dire situation in Ukraine is a global concern, and Taiwan cannot turn its back when the latter is in need of help, as the two countries share many common values and interests,
RSS