Taiwan says it would continue to “negotiate” with US to ensure new funding is spent in right places

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence has said that it would continue to negotiate with the United States via existing channels in order to ensure that the aid provided to them is spent in right places, the Central News Agency Taiwan reported.

With bipartisan support, the US House of Representatives approved a USD 95 billion foreign aid package on Saturday to provide additional funding to Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine.

House Republicans, some of whom opposed sending money overseas instead of the US-Mexico border, had postponed the votes for months earlier.

Bills totaling USD 60.8 billion for Kyiv, USD 26 billion for Israel, humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, and USD 8 billion for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific will be combined into a single piece of legislation after passing the House.

The Senate is anticipated to pass this legislation on Tuesday, and US President has promised to sign the law immediately.

In response to the approval of foreign aid, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Ministry of National Defense (MND) both thanked the US House for approving the foreign aid in separate Sunday press statements.

According to CNA Taiwan, under the passed legislation, USD 2 billion in Foreign Military Financing Program funds would go to Taiwan and other US regional security partners to counter Chinese aggression, and another USD 1.9 billion would go to replenishing defense articles and defence services provided to Taiwan and regional partners, according to both Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence of Taiwan.

As both sides celebrate the 45th anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act in April, Taiwan MOFA’s statement commended the US Congress for passing the defence funding, which it said once again reaffirmed Washington’s “rock-solid” commitment to helping the self-governing island protect itself.