US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019 into law, before he talked with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) by telephone about the COVID-19 pandemic.
The TAIPEI Act authorizes the US government to increase economic, diplomatic and security engagements with nations upgrading relations with Taiwan, or reduce such engagements with nations taking actions that seriously undermine Taiwan.
The act calls on Washington to advocate for Taiwan’s membership, or observer status, in international organizations, while encouraging the US trade representative to further strengthen trade and economic relations with Taiwan.
Photo: Reuters
It is the second piece of legislation directly related to Taiwan that Trump has signed.
On March 16, 2018, he signed the Taiwan Travel Act, which encourages visits between US and Taiwanese officials of all levels, and signals an upgrade of bilateral ties, following the US’ Taiwan Relations Act of 1979.
The latest bill, first introduced by US Senator Cory Gardner in May last year, was passed by the US Senate on March 11.
US Representative John Curtis introduced the bill in the House of Representatives, which unanimously passed it on March 4.
The US is one of Taiwan’s most important international collaborators, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) wrote on Facebook yesterday, thanking Trump for taking concrete action to expand relations with Taiwan and support its participation in the global community.
She also thanked Gardner for introducing the bill in the US Senate and Curtis in the US House of Representatives.
The TAIPEI Act is “a testament to #Taiwan-#US friendship & mutual support as we work together to address global threats to human health & our shared democratic values,” Tsai wrote on Twitter.
Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said in a statement that the US is Taiwan’s most important international partner.
Taiwan would continue to strengthen collaboration with the US and other like-minded nations, Huang said, thanking Trump’s administration and the US Congress for their steadfast support.
Taiwan would advance partnerships around the globe based on the shared values of freedom, democracy and prosperity, he said, adding that the nation — as a force for good in the world — would continue to contribute to the global community.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said that the ministry would maintain its close ties with the US based on mutual trust and reciprocity, while working with other like-minded nations to achieve a greater global presence.
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,
As eight basketball-playing international students appealed to the Taiwanese basketball industry after they were excluded from the draft of an upcoming new league merging the P.League+ and the T1 League, the new league’s preparatory committee spokesperson Chang Shu-jen (張樹人) yesterday said the committee would tomorrow discuss the supplementary measures and whether the international students can join the draft. The students on Tuesday called for support on their right to play in the upcoming new league, after a merger involving the two leagues impacted their eligibility for the draft. The international players from the University Basketball Association (UBA), led by first pick prospect