Sec. 1258. Sense of Congress on enhancement of the United States-Taiwan defense relationship
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It is the sense of Congress that— Taiwan is a vital partner of the United States and is critical to a free and open Indo-Pacific region; the Taiwan Relations Act ( 22 U.S.C. 3301 et seq.) and the Six Assurances are both cornerstones of United States relations with Taiwan; the United States should continue to strengthen defense and security cooperation with Taiwan to support the development of capable, ready, and modern defense forces necessary for Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability; consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States should strongly support the acquisition by Taiwan of defense articles and services through foreign military sales, direct commercial sales, and industrial cooperation, with an emphasis on anti-ship, coastal defense, anti-armor, air defense, defensive naval mining, and resilient command and control capabilities that support the asymmetric defense strategy of Taiwan; the President and Congress should determine the nature and quantity of such defense articles and services based solely upon their judgment of the needs of Taiwan, as required by the Taiwan Relations Act and in accordance with procedures established by law; the United States should continue efforts to improve the predictability of United States arms sales to Taiwan by ensuring timely review of and response to requests of Taiwan for defense articles and services; the Secretary of Defense should promote policies concerning exchanges that enhance the security of Taiwan, including— opportunities with Taiwan for practical training and military exercises that— enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability, as described in section 3(a) of the Taiwan Relations Act ( 22 U.S.C. 3302(a) ); and emphasize capabilities consistent with the asymmetric defense strategy of Taiwan; exchanges between senior defense officials and general officers of the United States and Taiwan, consistent with the Taiwan Travel Act ( Public Law 115–135 ), especially for the purpose of enhancing cooperation on defense planning and improving the interoperability of United States and Taiwan forces; and opportunities for exchanges between junior officers and senior enlisted personnel of the United States and Taiwan; the Secretary of Defense should consider expanded air and naval engagements and training with Taiwan to enhance regional security; the United States and Taiwan should expand cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief including conducting port calls in Taiwan with the United States Naval Ship Comfort and United States Naval Ship Mercy; the Secretary of Defense should consider options, including exercising ship visits and port calls, as appropriate, to expand the scale and scope of humanitarian assistance and disaster response cooperation with Taiwan and other regional partners so as to improve disaster response planning and preparedness; the Secretary of Defense should continue regular transits of United States Navy vessels through the Taiwan Strait and encourage allies and partners to follow suit in conducting such transits to demonstrate the commitment of the United States and its allies and partners to fly, sail, and operate anywhere international law allows; the violation of international law by the Government of China with respect to the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong, done at Beijing December 19, 1984, is gravely concerning and erodes international confidence in China’s willingness to honor its international commitments, including not to change the status quo with respect to Taiwan by force; the increasingly coercive and aggressive behavior of China towards Taiwan, including growing military maneuvers targeting Taiwan, is contrary to the expectation of the peaceful resolution of the future of Taiwan; and the United States and Taiwan should expand consultation and cooperation on combating the Coronavirus Disease 2019 ( COVID–19 ) and seek to share the best practices and cooperate on a range of activities under this partnership.
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Sec. 1258
Sense of Congress on enhancement of the United States-Taiwan defense relationship
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