Washington, DC [US], May 11 : Underscoring the strategic competition between the US and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the US House Select Committee introduced a bill that will authorise USD 120 million in support for Taiwan's international space and take on China's coercion, reported Focus Taiwan.
The legislation, the Taiwan Allies Fund Act, came on a bipartisan basis ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Lai Ching-te of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on May 20.
In a statement, the committee said the bill "strengthens Taiwan's global network of friends by authorising USD 120 million over three years for the State Department and USAID (United States Agency for International Development) to provide foreign assistance to Taiwan's official and unofficial partners subjected to coercion and pressure from the CCP."
According to the bill, the funding will be part of the Countering PRC Influence Fund,, in which a qualified country will receive USD 5 million a year, as reported by Focus Taiwan.
A country is described in the bill as a qualified fund recipient if it is able to advance Taiwan's meaningful participation in international fora and multilateral organisations, if it is able to diversify supply chains away from China, or if it is able to build the capacity and resilience of civil society, media, and other nongovernmental organisations to counter China's influence and propaganda.
The bill specifies that the US encourages countries having no official ties with Taiwan to deepen their engagement and help those countries that lack the economic or political capability to effectively respond to China's coercion.
Republican Committee Chairman John Moolenaar, in a statement, said, "The Chinese Communist Party has spent decades trying to isolate the free people of Taiwan from the world stage and coerce other nations into severing relations with the thriving democracy."
Moolenaar proposed the bill along with Democratic Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democratic House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, and Taiwan Caucus Co-Chairs Andy Barr of the Republican Party and Ami Bera and Gerald Connolly of the Democratic Party, Focus Taiwan reported.
"Our legislation will help Taiwan's diplomatic allies resist CCP authoritarian pressure campaigns while meeting their development needs. The United States must stand with those who stand with Taiwan," Moolenaar said.
The committee noted that since 2013, China has enticed 11 countries to cut relations with Taipei in favour of Beijing, often through bribes and economic inducements.
Notably, after Nauru's switch of recognition from Taiwan to China in January 2024, Taiwan is left with only 12 diplomatic allies. reported Focus Taiwan.
The committee added that China has also weaponized trade and commercial ties to punish countries forging closer unofficial ties with Taiwan, including Lithuania.
Meanwhile, Democratic Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi described Taiwan as "one of our closest friends in the world."
Krishnamoorthi said that China's attempts to intimidate and influence countries that diplomatically recognise Taiwan and economically coerce those countries that seek to boost unofficial relations must be condemned and rejected.
"It is time for the United States to stand with Taiwan in the face of diplomatic pressure from Beijing that seeks to undermine Taiwan's rightful participation on the international stage," Krishnamoorthi said.
Moreover, this bill is the first legislation proposed by Moolenar after he assumed the chairmanship of the committee in April, according to Focus Taiwan.
He noted that his priorities as chairman included how to expand training programmes for Taiwan's military and eliminate bottlenecks that have left Taiwan waiting for years to receive the weapons it needs to defend itself.
Moreover, he also pledged to work tirelessly to deter Chinese military aggression against Taiwan and American allies in the Indo-Pacific.
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