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Bill to boost
US-Taiwan ties tabled in Washington
¡¥VITAL ALLY¡¦: US Representative Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen¡¦s proposed Taiwain policy act calls for Taipei to be treated like
other US allies and for the authorization of arms sales
By William Lowther / Staff reporter in Washington
Bipartisan legislation strongly supporting the strengthening of US-Taiwan
relations has been introduced into the US Congress.
US Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the former chairwoman of the US House of
Representatives¡¦ Foreign Affairs Committee, proposed the Taiwan policy act of
2013 on Friday.
¡§Taiwan is a vital ally of the US and should be treated as such,¡¨ Ros-Lehtinen
said as she introduced the bill.
Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican, introduced an earlier version of the bill in the
last Congress, but election-year politics stopped it from coming to a vote.
The new bill seeks to ¡§further diplomatic relations with Taiwan¡¨ and allow
Taiwanese leaders to meet with US officials of all executive government
branches.
Current US laws severely restrict who Taiwanese politicians can see and what
they are allowed to do when on US soil.
The new bill also calls for the signing of a comprehensive extradition agreement
with Taiwan and authorizes the sale of F-16C/D aircraft to the Taiwanese
military.
In addition, it calls for the transfer of decommissioned guided missile frigates
to Taiwan.
Congressional Taiwan Caucus co-chairs Albio Sires, Mario Diaz-Balart, Gerald
Connolly and John Carter are co-sponsoring the bill.
¡§With the growing antagonism of the Kim [Jong-un] regime in North Korea and the
ever-expanding territorial ambitions of China, our alliance with the democratic
nation of Taiwan is even more important,¡¨ Ros-Lehtinen said. ¡§Taiwanese leaders
must be allowed to meet with US officials in all executive branches and have
full access and recognition just like any other ally, no exceptions.¡¨
Alongside the Taiwan bill, Ros-Lehtinen also introduced the Egypt accountability
and democracy promotion act to crack down on extremist groups in Egypt and
support human rights and freedoms in that country.
¡§The challenges facing our nation and allies around the world are growing,¡¨ she
said. ¡§In order to meet these challenges head on, concrete action must be
taken.¡¨
She said that the bills were aimed at meeting new challenges facing US interests
throughout the world.
¡§From supporting our vital ally, Taiwan, to confronting the [President Mohamed]
Morsi regime in Egypt, we must act responsibly and prioritize our foreign policy
objectives,¡¨ she said.
The Taiwan policy act of 2013 would not amend or supersede the Taiwan Relations
Act.
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