A provision in the US Senate's 2023 defense authorization bill will provide Taiwan with up to US$10 billion of military aid over the next five years.
The provision prioritizes allocating US surplus defense resources to Taiwan. It also calls on US authorities to organize a defense modernization program specific to the country.
The provisions include many parts of the Taiwan Policy Act. But it doesn't include controversial measures like changing the name of Taiwan's representative office in Washington or designating the country a major non-NATO ally.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou (歐江安) says the ministry will continue to strive to strengthen US-Taiwan relations and preserve freedom, peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The ministry hopes the bill can be enacted before the US Congress ends this year's session.
The defense authorization bill still needs to pass both houses of the US Congress.