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.
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
IDENTITY: Compared with other platforms, TikTok’s algorithm pushes a ‘disproportionately high ratio’ of pro-China content, a study has found Young Taiwanese are increasingly consuming Chinese content on TikTok, which is changing their views on identity and making them less resistant toward China, researchers and politicians were cited as saying by foreign media. Asked to suggest the best survival strategy for a small country facing a powerful neighbor, students at National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School said “Taiwan must do everything to avoid provoking China into attacking it,” the Financial Times wrote on Friday. Young Taiwanese between the ages of 20 and 24 in the past were the group who most strongly espoused a Taiwanese identity, but that is no longer
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake and several aftershocks battered southern Taiwan early this morning, causing houses and roads to collapse and leaving dozens injured and 50 people isolated in their village. A total of 26 people were reported injured and sent to hospitals due to the earthquake as of late this morning, according to the latest Ministry of Health and Welfare figures. In Sising Village (西興) of Chiayi County's Dapu Township (大埔), the location of the quake's epicenter, severe damage was seen and roads entering the village were blocked, isolating about 50 villagers. Another eight people who were originally trapped inside buildings in Tainan
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS