Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

US House eyes Taiwan defense ties

Taiwan Tati Cultural & Educational Foundation

Police officers wearing face masks guard the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, U.S., May 14, 2020.
Photo: Reuters

The US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee yesterday passed its version of the US annual defense policy bill — the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023 — which includes provisions for enhancing military ties with Taiwan.

The committee passed the draft bill in a 57-to-one vote early in the morning, following 16 hours of debate.

The high price of attacking Taiwan

Jerome Keating

As Taiwan is facing global crises from the COVID-19 pandemic to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it is again time to take stock.

In terms of public health, Taiwan has made it through the COVID-19 challenge quite well. By combining masking, vaccinations and border controls, it has achieved a sufficiently protective herd immunity and is expected to end quarantine requirements for incoming travelers by the end of the summer.

What about Ukraine? Here, Taiwan must assess four key players in its region.

Ko’s bridge a road to nowhere

Taipei Times Editorial

As the Russia-Ukraine war continues, barely a day goes by without a report of a bridge being blown to smithereens by one side or the other. The tactical destruction of bridges is as old as war itself, with structures dismantled or dynamited to slow the progress of advancing forces, cut off supply lines or pin down a retreating army.

Amid the destruction, new bridges are also built during conflict to rapidly ferry troops and materials across rivers. During peacetime, bridges are economic corridors, linking population centers separated by nature. Bridges can also be used to advance diplomatic goals, such as the Sino-Nepal Friendship Bridge.

Critics blast Ko over Kinmen-Xiamen bridge

Taipei Times

A view of China’s Xiamen taken from Kinmen County’s Lieyu Township is pictured in an undated photograph.
Photo: Taipei Times

Critics accused Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) of being oblivious to national security concerns after he proposed constructing a bridge to link Kinmen and China’s Xiamen (廈門).

Ko, who is also the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman, made the proposal when presiding over the opening ceremony of the party’s office in Kinmen on Saturday.

More Articles...