The US is redoubling its support for the self-defense capabilities of Taiwan and other partners to counter the threat to regional stability posed by China’s rise, US Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Jenkins said on Thursday at a hearing of the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The US Department of State and the US Department of Defense routinely exercise leadership and engage in discussions with allies and partners to improve diplomatic, informational, military and economic apparatus used to stabilize the Indo-Pacific region, Jenkins said.
Washington additionally conducts long-term defense and security aid programs to support the conventional military powers of allies in the region, she said.
Photo: screen grab from the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs’ Web site
“Be it the Republic of [South] Korea, Japan, Taiwan or the Philippines, we continue to ensure stability in the region by investing in our allies’ and partners’ capabilities to defend themselves,” Jenkins said.
The US Congress last month passed a US$95 billion aid package for Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, which US President Joe Biden signed into law.
The package included a US$8.1 billion fund to supplement Indo-Pacific security, a US$2 billion foreign military financing fund, a US$1.9 billion fund for backfilling weapon systems diverted to Ukraine from other allies and a US$542 million budget for the use of the US Indo-Pacific Command.
In other developments, US senators across party lines on Thursday proposed a resolution to reject China’s mischaracterization of UN Resolution 2758, saying Beijing’s claim of sovereignty over Taiwan based on the resolution is not accepted by the world.
US Senator Jim Risch, a ranking Republican member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, proposed the resolution, reaffirming that the “one China policy” of the US is not equivalent to the “one China principle” of the Chinese Communist Party.
“The passage of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 in 1971 does not mean the world accepts China’s claimed sovereignty over Taiwan. Moreover, the United States’ ‘one China policy’ is not the same as China’s ‘one China principle,’” Risch said in a statement.
“Chinese leaders know this, but spread this propaganda to deny Taiwan’s ability to engage with international organizations. This resolution sets the record straight. The United States can and should push back on China’s false narratives at every opportunity,” the statement said.
Resolution 2758 was adopted by the 26th UN General Assembly in 1971 to solve the issue of China’s representation at the UN. It ultimately led to the Republic of China withdrawing from the UN and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) taking its place.
The resolution passed on Oct. 25, 1971, recognizes the PRC as the “only lawful representative of China.”
However, Taiwan and US governments have repeatedly argued that the resolution does not mention Taiwan, does not state that Taiwan is part of the PRC and does not explicitly authorize Beijing to represent Taiwan at the UN.
According to the seven-page resolution introduced by the two US senators, China has weaponized UN Resolution 2758 and the “one China principle” to isolate Taiwan and prevent the nation’s meaningful participation at the UN, UN-affiliated agencies and other international organizations.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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