U.S. Republicans want billions for Taiwan military aid to counter China
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[November 05, 2021]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.
Republican lawmakers introduced legislation on Thursday seeking to
provide $2 billion per year and other assistance to bolster's Taiwan's
defenses as it faces rising pressure from China.
The legislation, reviewed by Reuters, would authorize $2 billion a year
in Foreign Military Financing - U.S. grants and loans that enable
countries to purchase weapons and defense equipment produced in the
United States - through 2032 for the self-ruled island.
While the bill is sponsored only by Republicans, the minority party in
the Senate, it adds to pressure from Congress on Democratic President
Joe Biden for bolder action to strengthen ties with diplomatically
isolated Taiwan.
The United States is the main military supplier for the democratic
island nation.
The bill's lead sponsor is Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Co-sponsors include Republican
Senators Mike Crapo, John Cornyn, Bill Hagerty, Mitt Romney and Marco
Rubio.
It was not immediately clear how Democrats view the bill. Support for
Taiwan is a rare issue that garners bipartisan backing in the deeply
divided Senate.
The funding would come with conditions, including Taiwan committing to
match U.S. spending, and whether Taipei and Washington agree to conduct
joint long-range planning for capacity development.
The United States has urged Taiwan to pursue defense reforms to focus on
capabilities to make its military forces more mobile and harder to
attack, as well as to ensure it maintains a strong reserve force.
The "Taiwan Deterrence Act" also would amend the existing Arms Export
Control Act, which governs foreign military sales, to make it easier for
U.S. firms to sell arms to Taiwan. It also would require an annual
assessment of Taiwan's efforts to advance defense strategy toward China.
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Flags of Taiwan and U.S. are placed for a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan
March 27, 2018. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
The bill also would improve military exchanges with
Taiwan and expand professional military education and technical
training opportunities in the United States for Taiwanese military
personnel.
"The defense of Taiwan is critical to retaining the credibility of
the United States as a defender of the democratic values and
free-market principles embodied by the people and government of
Taiwan," the bill's text says.
China recently has ramped up military pressure, including repeated
missions by Chinese warplanes near democratic Taiwan, which Beijing
claims as its own and has not ruled out taking by force.
Biden has confirmed a "rock-solid" commitment to Taiwan and
criticized China. Beijing blames Washington's policies of supporting
Taiwan with arms sales and sending warships through the Taiwan
Strait for raising tensions.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Defense in its annual report to
Congress on China's military reiterated concern about increasing
pressure on Taiwan.
The report renewed concerns about China's development of options to
take Taiwan, although a defense official declined to speculate to
reporters about whether that scenario was likely or say if the
department sees a near- or even medium-term risk of armed conflict.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Mary Milliken and Dan
Grebler)
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