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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》Support for Taiwan in ICAO passed in US House
US Representative Gregory Meeks, left, speaks at a committee hearing about China in Washington on Tuesday. Photo: AP
Staff writer, with CNA in WASHINGTON
The US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday approved three bills, one of which contained a provision that supports Taiwan’s inclusion in the International Civil Aviation Organization （ICAO）.
The next step for the three bills — the upholding sovereignty of airspace act, deterring America’s technological adversaries act and the countering the PRC malign influence fund authorization act — is to advance for debate on the floor of the House.
Of the draft bills, the upholding sovereignty of airspace act （USA act） seeks to hold the People’s Republic of China （PRC） accountable for a high-altitude surveillance balloon that was shot down in US airspace last month, its sponsors said.
The sponsors said that the bill, introduced by US Representative Gregory Meeks, a ranking committee member, would require Washington to use regulatory and enforcement tools to protect national security, including the imposition of sanctions on any Chinese individual the US president determines is managing or overseeing China’s alleged global surveillance balloon program.
Such examples include freezing that person’s assets in the US, and refusing to issue visas, the bill says.
It would also ask the UN and ICAO to condemn the PRC’s violation of US airspace.
Prior to the bill’s hearing on Wednesday, US Representative Young Kim proposed an amendment that would require the US to use its voice at ICAO to “support Taiwan’s participation in the events and meetings of that organization.”
Despite Meeks’ objection on the grounds that the USA act has nothing to do with Taiwan, the bill was approved that day in a 25 to 15 vote.
Meanwhile, the proposed deterring america’s technological adversaries act seeks to give US President Joe Biden the authorization to ban social video app TikTok, while the countering the PRC malign influence fund authorization act seeks to appropriate US$325 million for fiscal years 2023 to 2027 to “counter the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party and the PRC government, and entities acting on their behalf globally.”
Democrats had opposed the technological adversaries bill, saying it was rushed and required due diligence through debate and consultation with experts.
The bill does not specify how the ban would work, but gives the US president the power to ban any transactions involving TikTok, which in turn could prevent anyone in the US from accessing or downloading the app.
The bill would require Biden to impose a ban on any entity that “may” transfer sensitive personal data to an entity subject to the influence of China.
Meeks said the bill is “dangerously” broad, as it would require US sanctions on Taiwanese and South Korean companies that supply Chinese companies with semiconductor chips and other equipment because of its restrictions on data transfers to China.
The three bills came one day after the foreign affairs committee and US House Financial Services Committee advanced a series of bills in support of Taiwan.
Additional reporting by Reuters
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
