Two US senators on Thursday introduced a bill to significantly enhance support for Taiwan, including provisions for billions of US dollars in security assistance and changes to a decades-old law undergirding Washington’s unofficial ties with Taipei.
The US, which accuses China of ramping up military coercion toward Taiwan, is its main supporter and arms supplier, a point of increasing friction between Washington and Beijing, whose relations are already at their lowest point in decades.
The senators’ draft Taiwan policy act threatens severe sanctions against China for any aggression against Taiwan and would provide US$4.5 billion in foreign military financing over the next four years, as well as designate Taiwan a “major non-NATO ally,” the bill said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The sponsors — US Senator Bob Menendez, who chairs the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and US Senator Lindsey Graham — said it would be the most comprehensive restructuring of US policy toward Taiwan since the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, which has since the US opened relations with Beijing been the bedrock of Washington’s engagement with Taiwan.
“As Beijing continues to seek to coerce and isolate Taiwan, there should be no doubt or ambiguity about the depth and strength of our determination to stand with the people of Taiwan and their democracy,” Menendez said in a statement.
He said the bill sent a clear message that China should not make the same mistakes Russia made in invading Ukraine.
“The danger will only grow worse if we show weakness in the face of Chinese threats and aggression toward Taiwan,” Graham said.
Senate aides said the pair hoped to have the committee vote to send the bill to the senate floor as early as next week.
China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the proposed legislation.
One US official familiar with the bill said some of its elements made US President Joe Biden’s administration and the US Department of State uneasy given concerns it could antagonize China.
Any legislation would also have to pass the US House of Representatives, and another expansive bill intended to boost US competitiveness with China has been languishing in the US Congress for months.
The White House and state department did not respond to a request for comment.
Should it become law as currently written, the bill would “prioritize and expedite” arms sales to Taiwan until Congress determines the threat to the nation has significantly abated, as well as direct the US secretary of defense to establish a training program to increase Taiwan and US armed forces interoperability.
The US president would be required to impose sanctions on Chinese officials, including its president, in response to “significant escalation in hostile action in or against Taiwan,” such as undermining or overthrowing the government or occupying the nation.
It would amend parts of the Taiwan Relations Act, including by adding that US arms provisions to Taiwan be “conducive to deterring acts of aggression” by China.
It would also push the state department to seek negotiations to rename Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Washington the “Taiwan Representative Office” and would elevate the role of Washington’s top official in Taiwan by requiring Senate confirmation for the post.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the senators for proposing the legislation.
The bill, sponsored by heavyweights of both major US parties, demonstrated that support for Taiwan has, at least in the US Congress, superseded party lines, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said.
The bill is seeking to warm US-Taiwan ties across all sectors, strengthen the countries’ bilateral security and trade relations, support increased Taiwanese participation on international affairs, and counteract Chinese oppression, she said.
Taiwan would continue to work closely with the US to foster peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, Ou added.
Addiitonal reporting by Yang Cheng-yu
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS