American Senate passes bill to Support Taiwan.

The US Senate committee on Wednesday, September 14, passed a measure that would prominently highlight American support for Taiwan. The plan provides a billion dollars for extra security support in case China puts more pressure on the nation as an adversary. 

Despite significant reservations about the law in the administration of American President Joe Biden and displeasure over the proposal from Beijing, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has demonstrated support for the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022 by a vote of 17 ratio 5.  

Under previous laws, the US has given the independent nation different weaponry to protect itself, but the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022 will provide security aid worth $4.5 billion over four years. Additionally, it supports Taipei’s membership in international organizations and spells out penalties for Beijing should it resort to using force to try to take the island, which it views as a part of its own territory.  

The high vote total demonstrated a resounding endorsement of changing U.S. policy toward Taiwan and considering it as a significant non-NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) associate from both Republicans and President Biden’s fellow Democrats.  

The US is required to “preserve and promote extensive, close and friendly commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people of the United States and the people of Taiwan” under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, which was passed after Washington officially switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing. The most extensive legislation pertaining to Taiwan will be the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022.  

While stressing that the US does not desire conflict or heightened tensions with Beijing, Senator Bob Menendez, the Democratic committee chairman, said, “We need to be clear-eyed about what we are confronting.”  

If we want to assure Taiwan has a fighting shot, we must act now, said another senator, Jim Risch, the committee’s senior Republican, claiming that any change in the status quo for Taiwan would have “disastrous implications” for the American economic and national security.  

Before becoming a law, the measure must still be approved by all of the senators in the Senate House.  

The law would “help advance the Taiwan-U.S. alliance in many aspects,” especially security and economic aspects, as per Taiwan’s presidential office, which extended gratefulness to the Senate for its most recent display of support.  

In the event of conflict across the strait separating the mainland from Taiwan, the legislation contains substantial wording on penalties against China.  

The Reaction Of Beijing  

China’s response to the bill’s first introduction in June 2022 was that if Washington took any acts that hurt China’s interests, it would be “compelled to take forceful countermeasures.”  

When asked whether she had spoken with the White House about particular penalties, Hsiao Bi-Khim, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to Washington, told the media during an event at the Capitol, “We haven’t discussed any details.”  

We discussed integrated deterrence in a wider sense, meaning the need to investigate various instruments to guarantee that the status quo in the Taiwan Strait can be preserved, according to Hsiao.  

She claimed to have “thanked” Congress for the measure. We’re hopeful that we can get to some kind of agreement on security, which is our number one concern, she added, “given the complexity of differing viewpoints here in the United States too.”  

The committee’s approval has opened the door for a vote in the entire Senate, although no timetable for that has been provided. It must also pass the House of Representatives, be approved by President Biden, and get enough support to overcome a veto in order to become law.

Clarity Over Ambiguity

 The law eliminates many of the workarounds and euphemisms that have been in place to avoid upsetting China, but it does not call for the US to fully recognize Taiwan.  

The US government would be directed to deal with Taiwan as it would any other government, and the de facto embassy, now known as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, would be renamed the Taiwan Representative Office.  

The National Defense Authorization Act, a yearly law that establishes policies for the Department of Defense and is anticipated to pass later this year, might be combined with the Taiwan bill to create a bigger piece of legislation.

Published By: Sandipan Dutta