US House of Representatives backs defence support for Taiwan
- Capitol Hill hardens US stance on China and urges Taipei to spend more on arms
- Beijing says Washington must avoid doing ‘serious harm’ to cooperation efforts
The lower chamber of the US Congress on Tuesday unanimously backed legislation supporting Taiwan, which faces military and diplomatic pressure from mainland China as Washington pushes for a harder-edged approach to relations with Beijing.
China voiced its anger and said the bill should be blocked.
The House of Representatives passed the measures as the United States and China continued months-long trade talks. Beijing said on Tuesday that Vice-Premier Liu He would travel to Washington this week, setting up a last-ditch effort for a deal that would avoid a steep increase in tariffs ordered by US President Donald Trump.
The house voted 414-0 for a non-binding resolution that reaffirmed the US’ commitment to Taiwan.
It also backed by a unanimous voice vote the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2019, which supports Taiwan and urges it to increase its defence spending. It said Washington should conduct “regular transfers of defence articles to Taiwan consistent with Taiwan’s national security requirements” and support Taipei’s participation in international organisations.
There was no word on when the assurance act might be up for a vote in the Senate, which would be required before it could become law.
