US lawmaker urges drone bill passage

Visiting US Representative Young Kim yesterday urged the Legislative Yuan to swiftly pass a bill funding the procurement of domestically produced drones needed to help defend the country against security threats posed by China. The Cabinet has submitted a draft act authorizing up to NT$210 billion (US$6.5 billion) to fund the procurement of domestically developed reconnaissance and attack drones, as well as uncrewed surface vessels. The bill is under review by the opposition-controlled legislature alongside 13 competing proposals. Speaking to journalists after meeting President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Kim, who is leading a bipartisan US congressional delegation to Taipei, said her visit came shortly after China and Russia had concluded joint naval patrols in the Pacific Ocean, which she said were intended to “intimidate the free people of the Indo-Pacific.” Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters While acknowledging the “major steps” Taiwan has taken to bolster its defenses in the face of threats from the Chinese Communist Party, as well as the “robust and very bipartisan” support for Taiwan in the US Congress, Kim said both Taiwan and the US “must do more and do it quickly.” “In the 21st century, drones are central to warfare,” Kim said. “We hope that the Legislative Yuan can send a strong demand signal to build and buy as many drones as possible, and do it quickly.” The California Republican also highlighted an investment plan announced earlier this month by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) in Arizona, saying it, together with flourishing people-to-people ties, signals a deepening Taiwan-US partnership. Earlier yesterday, Lai told the delegation that as countries around the world seek to purchase drones from secure and reliable sources, Taiwan, drawing on its strengths in semiconductors, precision machinery and information and communications technology, is at a pivotal stage in developing its drone industry. Taiwan has developed capabilities spanning drone research and development, testing and large-scale production to meet its defense requirements, he said. The government-funded weapons developer National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has passed rigorous US cybersecurity assessments for drone production, demonstrating its ability to comply with international standards while protecting key technologies, he said. “We look forward to working with the United States to build secure and reliable non-red supply chains,” Lai said, referring to drone supply chains that do not rely on Chinese components. Lai also thanked Kim, who chairs the East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee of the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, for her long-standing leadership in introducing Taiwan-friendly legislation in the US Congress, which he said has helped deepen bilateral ties and expand cooperation. The US delegation consists of Kim, Democratic Representative Suhas Subramanyam and Republican representatives Michael Cloud and Randy Feenstra, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Earlier yesterday, the delegation also met with Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) at the defense ministry. The two sides exchanged views on Taiwan-US cooperation and security issues in the Indo-Pacific region, the defense ministry said in a statement. Taiwan has suspended visa processing for Moroccans in response to Morocco halting visa applications for Taiwanese travelers worldwide, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. The Moroccan embassy in Japan on Thursday last week informed Taiwanese travel agencies that it would suspend its visa confirmation letter application service for Taiwanese seeking to travel to Morocco, the ministry said in a statement. Taiwanese are required to obtain the letter before traveling to Morocco, the Bureau of Consular Affairs Web site says. Applications are submitted through the Moroccan embassy in Japan, which forwards them to Morocco for review. Once approved, the authorization SIDE-BY-SIDE: The US appreciates Taiwan’s partnership in maritime security and safety, and supports its strong contributions to global maritime law enforcement, the AIT said The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday for the first time shared a photograph of Taiwanese and US coast guard vessels operating side-by-side, saying that the two sides conducted joint operations ranging from search-and-rescue to maritime law enforcement. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and the US Coast Guard are “coordinating shared objectives such as search and rescue, preparing for tropical storms, disaster relief, preserving maritime resources, countering illegal fishing, and interdicting illegal drug shipments at sea,” the AIT said on Facebook. “The US appreciates Taiwan’s partnership in maritime security and safety, and supports Taiwan’s meaningful contributions on global issues including maritime law TARGETS: Taiwan has consistently planned for all possible scenarios involving Chinese action against the country and developed contingency measures, a major general said The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said it is monitoring the construction of full-scale replicas of military and government sites in Taiwan by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA). The comments from ministry spokesman Major General Sun Li-fang (孫立方) come after a report by the Telegraph on satellite imagery showing replicas of Taiwan’s Presidential Office Building, Suao Naval Base and other sites. Citing satellite imagery and defense analysts, the report, published on Sunday, said that the PLA had built life-size replicas of key government facilities to rehearse military operations under realistic conditions. The report described the scale and specificity of the training TAIWAN POSITIVE: The exempted products list, which includes many items critical to Taiwan’s economy, appeared to have been selected for the nation’s benefit, a group said Taiwan obtained US tariff exemptions for 2,231 products after Washington on Thursday declared a new round of excise taxes on 60 trade partners, officials said on Friday. The new tariffs imposed on countries that allegedly engage in forced labor were authorized under Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974. The measures were met with protests from Europe, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand, saying the labor allegations were baseless. Taiwan achieved most-favored-nation status, so it had the lowest tariff rates among the four groups in the US sanctions regime, pays a non-cumulative 10 percent tariff and obtained exemptions for thousands of