|
US¡¦ Taiwan Policy Act
being blocked
PROBLEM AREAS: Some lawmakers have spoken out
against the act because of the US beef dispute, while the US presidential
election is also complicating matters
By Nadia Tsao / Staff reporter in Washington
The passage of the Taiwan Policy Act in the US has been blocked by the House of
Representatives Judiciary Committee, with Republican lawmakers voicing doubts
over the handling of safety issues relating to visa-waiver programs by the
administration of US President Barack Obama, US Congress sources said.
Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen introduced the Taiwan Policy Act
last year to ¡§help ensure that Taiwan¡¦s peace, prosperity and security will be
maintained ... [and to] further strengthen commercial relations between the
United States and the people of Taiwan¡¨ after the Obama administration declined
to sell Taiwan F-16C/D aircraft.
The act is still likely to be passed, a source said, but more time is needed to
negotiate with those opposing it.
Other lawmakers have recently spoken out against the act in response to the
dispute over the import of US beef, sources said.
However, after negotiations and amendments to the wording, those lawmakers are
no longer opposed, they added.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith has always been friendly toward
Taiwan, sources said, adding that Smith¡¦s aides had confirmed that he was
concerned with the overall execution of the visa-waiver program.
The US Department of Justice and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS),
which are in charge of the process, said that in recent years there has been
much concern over national security issues relating to visa-waiver programs, the
aide said.
No matter how many times the government has emphasized the national security
features in such programs, the DHS has never given a high priority to security
requirements appended to visa-waiver programs, the aide said.
Smith and other lawmakers believe that visa-waiver programs relate to the
national security of the US and that unless security requirements are rigorously
met, they should not be expanded to include more countries, the aide said.
Meanwhile, other sources said that the US presidential election in November is
complicating matters, with Republicans and Democrats at loggerheads over
immigration and border security issues.
Overseas Taiwanese are encouraging US voters to telephone lawmakers opposed to
the act to solicit their support, a source said.
Translated by Jake Chung, staff writer
|
