March 24, 2024
US President Joe Biden on March 23 signed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, completing the legislative process for the bill and injecting financial resources into various measures and initiatives supporting Taiwan.
The act bolsters already strong momentum in Taiwan-US exchanges and includes express provisions granting Taiwan not less than US$300 million in foreign military financing assistance, allocating US$26 million for US Department of Defense international security cooperation programs with Taiwan, and earmarking not less than US$4 million for the Global Cooperation and Training Framework. The act also prioritizes reforming the arms sales process to accelerate arms delivery and supports Taiwan’s international participation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanks cross-party friends in the US Congress as well as the Biden administration for using concrete legislative action to again demonstrate support for the comprehensive Taiwan-US partnership and security across the Taiwan Strait. The act will provide a wide variety of substantive policy tools and funding to enhance Taiwan-US security cooperation, strengthen Taiwan’s overall defense resilience, and expand Taiwan’s international presence.
In addition, the US president’s fiscal year 2025 budget request listed a dedicated item for military aid to Taiwan. The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, also separately allocates funds for foreign military financing for Taiwan, underscoring the fact that the US executive branch and Congress share a high degree of consensus on bolstering Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region.
In alignment with overall national policy, the Taiwan government will steadily advance national defense-related reforms, strengthen self-defense capabilities, and coordinate and cooperate closely with the United States to incrementally promote the implementation of provisions friendly to Taiwan, deepen the comprehensive Taiwan-US partnership, and fulfill Taiwan’s obligations as a responsible member of the region. Together, Taiwan and the United States will continue working to safeguard peace, stability, and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific.