Feeling this might turn into a megathread soon.
Trump signs TAIPEI Act into law
ROC Central News Agency
03/27/2020 01:29 PM
Washington, March 26 (CNA) U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed into law the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019, which is aimed at supporting Taiwan's international presence.
First introduced in the U.S. Senate by Cory Gardner last May, the Act was passed in the Senate on March 11, one week after the House of Representatives voted 415-0 in its favor.
"This bipartisan legislation demands a whole-of-government approach to ramp up our support for Taiwan, and will send a strong message to nations that there will be consequences for supporting Chinese actions that undermine Taiwan," Gardner said Thursday after Trump signed the bill.
The Act calls for Washington to "reduce its economic, security and diplomatic engagements with nations that take serious or significant actions to undermine Taiwan," which is an open expression of U.S. support for Taiwan's diplomatic alliances around the world amid pressure from China.
The TAIPEI Act also calls on the U.S. government to help Taiwan gain participation in international organizations, either as a member or an observer, and to back Taiwan's efforts in that regard whenever Washington has bilateral engagements with Beijing.
"The United States should use every tool to support Taiwan's standing on the international stage," Gardner said in a joint statement with Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who co-authored the TAIPEI Act.
Gardner applauded President Trump's signing of the bipartisan legislation and said he will "continue to advocate on behalf of Taiwan and the Taiwanese people, as guided by United States law."
In similar vein, Coons said the bill sends a clear message that the U.S. stands with Taiwan's free-market democracy.
"I look forward to finding additional ways to support the positive role Taiwan plays in international affairs," he added.
In the joint statement, the two senators said the Act "articulates a clear U.S. policy to support Taiwan's participation in appropriate international organizations like the World Health Organization, which would help Taiwan respond to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and be able to share globally its expertise and knowledge in handling this crisis."
Furthermore, the act also calls on the U.S. administration to enhance economic cooperation with Taiwan and encourages the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to seek opportunities to strengthen and promote bilateral trade relations and agreements.
On Friday, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) expressed thanks to the U.S. president for signing the legislation into law and said Taiwan will continue to work with the U.S. to promote shared values and common goals.
Since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party came to power in 2016, Taiwan has lost seven diplomatic allies to China, namely Sao Tome and Principe, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, the Solomon Islands, and Kiribati.
www.zerohedge.com
US Warship Transits Taiwan Strait As Virus Blame-Game Escalates
by Tyler Durden
Fri, 03/27/2020 - 01:00
The Wall Street Journal's Jacky Wong pretty much sums it up: "World War 3 during a pandemic wasn't something I expected."
18 people are talking about this
A US warship transited through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, angering Beijing as both countries are fighting wars of their own against COVID-19 and escalating the blame-game for exactly who is ultimately responsible for the spread of the deadly virus.
The US Pacific Fleet tweeted that the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS McCampbell (DDG 85), conducted operations through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday.
190 people are talking about this
Taiwan's armed forces said in a statement that the US warship sailed through the region on an "ordinary mission," indicating that there was no need for alarm, reported Reuters.
The transit comes at a time when President Trump has repeatedly called COVID-19, the "Chinese virus," as social distancing and mass quarantines have led to the collapse of not just China's economy but a depression that will likely unfold in the US in the second quarter.
Anthony Junco, a spokesman for the US Seventh Fleet, said the USS McCampbell conducted "a routine Taiwan Strait transit on March 25 (local time) in accordance with international law."
Ren Guoqiang, the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, said the "US's recent actions concerning Taiwan, such as dispatching warships across the Taiwan Strait and passing of the TAIPEI Act, were tantamount to interference in China's internal affairs and undermined cross-strait peace and stability."
So what happens next? China's economy crashed, the world is swamped in a pandemic, Trump is increasingly calling COVID-19, the "Chinese flu," is the next move military conflict?
Trump signs TAIPEI Act into law
ROC Central News Agency
03/27/2020 01:29 PM
Washington, March 26 (CNA) U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed into law the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019, which is aimed at supporting Taiwan's international presence.
First introduced in the U.S. Senate by Cory Gardner last May, the Act was passed in the Senate on March 11, one week after the House of Representatives voted 415-0 in its favor.
"This bipartisan legislation demands a whole-of-government approach to ramp up our support for Taiwan, and will send a strong message to nations that there will be consequences for supporting Chinese actions that undermine Taiwan," Gardner said Thursday after Trump signed the bill.
The Act calls for Washington to "reduce its economic, security and diplomatic engagements with nations that take serious or significant actions to undermine Taiwan," which is an open expression of U.S. support for Taiwan's diplomatic alliances around the world amid pressure from China.
The TAIPEI Act also calls on the U.S. government to help Taiwan gain participation in international organizations, either as a member or an observer, and to back Taiwan's efforts in that regard whenever Washington has bilateral engagements with Beijing.
"The United States should use every tool to support Taiwan's standing on the international stage," Gardner said in a joint statement with Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who co-authored the TAIPEI Act.
Gardner applauded President Trump's signing of the bipartisan legislation and said he will "continue to advocate on behalf of Taiwan and the Taiwanese people, as guided by United States law."
In similar vein, Coons said the bill sends a clear message that the U.S. stands with Taiwan's free-market democracy.
"I look forward to finding additional ways to support the positive role Taiwan plays in international affairs," he added.
In the joint statement, the two senators said the Act "articulates a clear U.S. policy to support Taiwan's participation in appropriate international organizations like the World Health Organization, which would help Taiwan respond to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and be able to share globally its expertise and knowledge in handling this crisis."
Furthermore, the act also calls on the U.S. administration to enhance economic cooperation with Taiwan and encourages the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to seek opportunities to strengthen and promote bilateral trade relations and agreements.
On Friday, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) expressed thanks to the U.S. president for signing the legislation into law and said Taiwan will continue to work with the U.S. to promote shared values and common goals.
Since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party came to power in 2016, Taiwan has lost seven diplomatic allies to China, namely Sao Tome and Principe, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, the Solomon Islands, and Kiribati.
Zerohedge
ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
US Warship Transits Taiwan Strait As Virus Blame-Game Escalates
by Tyler Durden
Fri, 03/27/2020 - 01:00
The Wall Street Journal's Jacky Wong pretty much sums it up: "World War 3 during a pandemic wasn't something I expected."
Jacky Wong
✔@jackycwong
https://archive.vn/o/Xol4t/https://twitter.com/jackycwong/status/1243115036911923200
World War 3 during a pandemic wasn’t something I expected https://twitter.com/firstsquawk/status/1243055058909986816 …
First Squawk@FirstSquawk
US WARSHIP HAS SAILED THROUGH THE TAIWAN STRAIT IN A MOVE CERTAIN TO ANGER BEIJING AS THE TWO COUNTRIES TRADE BARBS OVER THE CORONAVIRUS.
34
9:58 AM - Mar 26, 2020
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18 people are talking about this
A US warship transited through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, angering Beijing as both countries are fighting wars of their own against COVID-19 and escalating the blame-game for exactly who is ultimately responsible for the spread of the deadly virus.
The US Pacific Fleet tweeted that the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS McCampbell (DDG 85), conducted operations through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday.
U.S. Pacific Fleet
✔@USPacificFleet
https://archive.vn/o/Xol4t/https://twitter.com/USPacificFleet/status/1242902627362332673
#USNavy Sailors stand watch aboard #USSMcCampbell as the forward-deployed @US7thFleet guided-missile destroyer transits the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday. #DDG85 #NavyReadiness
548
7:54 PM - Mar 25, 2020
Twitter Ads info and privacy
190 people are talking about this
Taiwan's armed forces said in a statement that the US warship sailed through the region on an "ordinary mission," indicating that there was no need for alarm, reported Reuters.
The transit comes at a time when President Trump has repeatedly called COVID-19, the "Chinese virus," as social distancing and mass quarantines have led to the collapse of not just China's economy but a depression that will likely unfold in the US in the second quarter.
Anthony Junco, a spokesman for the US Seventh Fleet, said the USS McCampbell conducted "a routine Taiwan Strait transit on March 25 (local time) in accordance with international law."
The cross-Strait relations between China and Taiwan could be heating up again. China slammed the US on Thursday for its latest stunt in the region.
Ren Guoqiang, the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, said the "US's recent actions concerning Taiwan, such as dispatching warships across the Taiwan Strait and passing of the TAIPEI Act, were tantamount to interference in China's internal affairs and undermined cross-strait peace and stability."
We noted back in November that if China's economy were to crash for any reason, then the threat of war between China and Taiwan would increase.
So what happens next? China's economy crashed, the world is swamped in a pandemic, Trump is increasingly calling COVID-19, the "Chinese flu," is the next move military conflict?
