MOFA thanks US House for legislation backing Taiwan

2019/05/10

The unanimous passage of a bill and resolution by the U.S. House of Representatives reiterating support for Taiwan is deeply appreciated by the government and people, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs May 8.
 
 Sponsored by U.S. Rep. Michael T. McCaul and co-sponsored by 24 others, H.R. 2002 states “Taiwan is a vital part of the United States Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy,” and “the United States should conduct regular sales and transfers of defense articles to Taiwan in order to enhance its self-defense capabilities, particularly its efforts to develop and integrate asymmetric capabilities, including undersea warfare and air defense capabilities, into its military forces.”
 
The Taiwan Assurance Act of 2019 also supports the country’s meaningful participation in the U.N. and other international bodies as appropriate. It further states that Taiwan’s exclusion from such organizations “is detrimental to global health, civilian air safety, and efforts to counter transnational crime; negatively impacts the safety and security of citizens globally; and negatively impacts the security of Taiwan and its democracy.”
 
House Res. 273, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Eliot L. Engel and co-sponsored by 31 others, reaffirms the U.S. commitment to Taiwan and to implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act.
 
 The wide-ranging text reaffirms that the TRA and Six Assurances remain cornerstones of U.S. relations with Taiwan, U.S. officials at all levels are encouraged to travel and meet with their counterparts in Taiwan, and for high-level Taiwan officials to enter the U.S. and meet with U.S. officials as per the Taiwan Travel Act.
 
 House Res. 273 also urges the regular transfer of defense articles to Taiwan consistent with Taiwan’s national security requirements in line with prior legislation, and calls on the U.S. secretary of state “to actively engage internationally in support of Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations engaged in addressing transnational threats and challenges such as those related to health, aviation security, and crime and terrorism.”
 
According to the MOFA, H.R. 2002 and House Res. 273 are outstanding examples of U.S. support for Taiwan in the 40th year of the TRA. They follow the introduction in March of S. 878 Taiwan Assurance Act of 2019, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton and co-sponsored by six others, and augur well for the future development of ties between the two sides, the ministry added.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)