U.S. military bill features up to $10 billion to boost Taiwan - Reuters

WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress is expected to commencement voting arsenic soon arsenic Wednesday connected a monolithic subject argumentation measure including authorization of up to $10 cardinal successful information assistance and fast-tracked weapons procurement for Taiwan.

The compromise version of the yearly National Defense Authorization Act, oregon NDAA, does not see immoderate arguable provisions of Taiwan authorities lawmakers proposed this year, including sanctions successful the lawsuit of "significant escalation successful aggression" against Taiwan by China, oregon a connection that Taiwan beryllium treated arsenic a "major non-NATO ally."

China considers Taiwan its territory and has ne'er renounced utilizing unit to bring it nether its control. Beijing responded angrily erstwhile the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved broader Taiwan authorities successful September contempt interest wrong President Joe Biden's medication that the measure could spell excessively acold successful heightening tensions with China.

The Senate and House Armed Services committees unveiled the NDAA precocious connected Tuesday. The $858 cardinal subject argumentation measure is expected to walk Congress and beryllium signed into instrumentality this month.

The "Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act" included successful the NDAA authorizes appropriations for subject assistance assistance for Taiwan up to $2 cardinal per twelvemonth from 2023 done 2027, if the U.S. caput of authorities certifies that Taiwan accrued its defence spending.

It includes a caller overseas subject financing indebtedness warrant authorization and different measures to fast-track Taiwan's weapons procurement, arsenic good arsenic the instauration of a grooming programme to amended Taiwan's defense.

"Taiwan's ideology remains the beating bosom to our Indo-Pacific strategy, and the extent and spot of our committedness to the radical of Taiwan is stronger than ever," said Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, president of the overseas relations committee and sponsor of the Taiwan legislation.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry expressed its gratitude for the "continued beardown enactment for Taiwan's security", adding it looked guardant to the authorities being passed.

China staged subject exercises adjacent Taiwan successful August aft a sojourn to Taipei by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and has continued its subject activities adjacent to the land though connected a reduced scale.

The U.S. State Department this week approved the imaginable merchantability of $428 cardinal successful craft parts for Taiwan to assistance its aerial force, which is strained from repeatedly intercepting Chinese jets operating astir the island.

Passed each twelvemonth since 1961, the NDAA addresses everything from soldiers' wage increases and however galore craft tin beryllium purchased to strategies for addressing geopolitical threats.

The compromise mentation of the NDAA followed months of negotiations betwixt Republicans and Democrats successful the Senate and House.

Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard successful Taipei; Editing by Cynthia Osterman, Robert Birsel

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