The US Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act, designed to help Taiwan stabilize diplomatic ties, which awaits US President Donald Trump’s signature to take effect.
The passage came just one week after the legislation unanimously cleared the US House of Representatives on Wednesday last week.
First introduced in the Senate in May last year by Cory Gardner, with US Representative John Curtis proposing a similar version in the US House in October, the bill is aimed at showing US support for Taiwan’s diplomatic alliances around the world amid growing pressure from Beijing.
Photo: Screen grab from American Institute in Taiwan’s video
The bill authorizes the US Department of State to consider “reducing its economic, security and diplomatic engagements with nations that take serious or significant actions to undermine Taiwan.”
It also calls on Washington to help Taiwan gain participation in international organizations, either as a member or an observer, and shows support for Taiwan’s international participation when it interacts with Beijing.
US legislative procedure requires a proposed law passed by Congress be presented to the president, who then has 10 days to approve or disapprove it.
Normally, bills not signed or vetoed within 10 days become law, even without Trump’s signature.
The bill’s passage at the US Senate shows that Taiwan-US ties are growing closer, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) said on Facebook yesterday, thanking the US Congress and Americans.
In related news, American Institute in Taiwan spokeswoman Amanda Mansour said that Taiwan is one of the US’ best friends and most important partners, and the US’ Taiwan Relations Act, which took effect in 1979, was designed to promote close collaboration and communication between the US and Taiwan.
Mansour, speaking in Mandarin in a video clip posted on Facebook on Tuesday, was answering online questions about why the US has not established formal relations with Taiwan.
“We think that maintaining the ‘status quo’ has brought about peace and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait over the past 40 years,” she said. “Any attempt to change the ‘status quo’ will threaten the stability.”
While current Taiwan-US ties are imperfect, they are the best in history, she said, adding that bilateral relations are “real friends” making “real progress.”
The US switched diplomatic relations from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, leading many other nations to cut ties with Taiwan.
Taiwan now has 15 diplomatic allies.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
Firefighters are working to put out a fire on Taipei’s Yangmingshan (陽明山) reported earlier this morning. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The Taipei Fire Department said it received a report of a fire at Xiaoyoukeng (小油坑) at 11:17am, dispatching four command vehicles, 16 firetrucks, one ambulance and 72 personnel. The fire is still burning on about 250m² of land, according to initial estimates, as eyewitnesses reported seeing smoke rising from the mountain. The Yangmingshan National Park Headquarters on Facebook said the Qixingshan (七星山) hiking trail starting from Xiaoyoukeng and the Xiaoyoukeng parking lot are closed as firefighters work to put
RSS