April 25, 2024
US President Joe Biden signed the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024 on April 24, completing its legislative process. The act includes a number of security initiatives for Taiwan and other countries in the Indo-Pacific, which will inject critical financial resources into military aid for Taiwan and strengthen US efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region.
After the provisions relevant to Taiwan were overwhelmingly adopted by the US House of Representatives on April 20, they were combined into a package with related assistance for Ukraine and Israel and sent to the US Senate for review. The act was passed by the Senate on the evening of April 23 and delivered to President Biden, who signed it into law.
The adoption of the act follows the United States passing the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 in March, which included provisions to grant Taiwan not less than US$300 million in foreign military financing and support for other substantial security initiatives. The most recent act appropriates an additional US$2 billion in foreign military financing for Taiwan and other countries in the Indo-Pacific region. It also allocates US$1.9 billion for military assistance for Taiwan and other countries that support Taiwan at the request of the United States, covering the replacement of defense articles from US Department of Defense stocks and reimbursement for related defense services, education, and training provided to Taiwan.
On the 45th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanks its friends on both sides of the aisle in the US Congress as well as the Biden administration for once again demonstrating through concrete legislative action the high level of support and attention that they give to enhancing Taiwan-US security cooperation and maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan is a responsible and trustworthy member of the international community. In alignment with overall national policy, Taiwan will continue to staunchly promote defense reforms, improve its self-defense capabilities, and further bolster close cooperation with the United States and other like-minded countries to jointly safeguard the cross-strait status quo and regional peace, stability, and prosperity.