The Foreign Ministry sincerely thanked the United States on Friday morning for demonstrating its commitment to Taiwan through the passing of a new National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the fiscal year 2025. The ministry detailed how the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate passed the bill on December 11 and 18 respectively, Eastern Standard Time, though it will not go into effect until it is signed by U.S. President Joe Biden.
The NDAA included a variety of legislation and funding authorization for Taiwan-related initiatives, such as the “Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative” based on a similar initiative for Ukrainian support, which would permit the U.S. to buy military equipment directly from private companies for allies or partners. It further provides for the establishment of a Taiwan-U.S. military trauma care plan, and another seeded bill would encourage not only the U.S. but also European allies to jointly strengthen relations with Taiwan via support for its defense capabilities, and enhance Taiwan-U.S. cooperation in the defense industry.
The Foreign Ministry said it will continue to maintain close communication with the U.S. Congress and executive departments to jointly deepen Taiwan-U.S. partnership and ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific region, continuing to champion freedom, openness, peace, and stability. The Ministry sincerely thanked the U.S. for their unwavering support of Taiwan-U.S. defense cooperation through legislative action.