President Trump on Sunday evening (Dec. 27) signed the fiscal year 2021 appropriations bill, which includes the Taiwan Security Act and the Tibet Policy and Support Act, further expanding support for Taiwan and Tibet. In response, China expressed strong opposition on Monday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference on Monday that the Taiwan issue is purely an internal affair of China and should not be interfered with by any outside forces, and that the U.S. should stop meddling in China’s internal affairs through the Taiwan issue and refrain from implementing the negative content and provisions of the bill that target China and harm China’s interests, so as not to seriously affect China-U.S. relations and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Zhao Lijian also said that China has noticed that the U.S. has signed a bill related to Tibet, and expressed its firm opposition to it. He said that the issue of Tibet is a matter of Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity, and is purely a matter of Chinese internal affairs, which cannot be interfered with by any external forces, and that the U.S. side must not implement the negative content and provisions of the relevant bill against China and harming Chinese interests, so as not to further damage Sino-U.S. cooperation and the overall situation of relations between the two countries.
Trump on Sunday signed into law a $2.3 trillion appropriations bill that includes a new crown epidemic relief bill to provide unemployment benefits for millions of Americans, federal grants, the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020, and the Tibet Policy and Support Act.) The Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020, the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020, and other provisions.
“The Taiwan Assurance Act calls for the U.S. government to normalize arms sales to Taiwan, support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, review the State Department’s guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and include $3 million to support the activities of the U.S.-Taiwan Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF).
Taiwan welcomed the signing of the Taiwan Reassurance Act and thanked the U.S. executive branch and Congress for their cross-party assistance. The Taiwan Presidential Office said in an official press release Monday that as a responsible member of the international community, the Taiwan government will continue to build on the good foundation established, deepen its partnership with the U.S. and continue to be a force for good in the international community.
The press release from Taiwan’s presidential office said it sincerely appreciates that Trump has promoted 11 arms sales during his presidency, showing that the U.S. government has taken concrete action to implement the Taiwan Relations Act and the “Six Assurances” security commitments and strengthen the strategic and defense needs of the national military.
Some scholars interviewed by the Taiwan Central News Agency believe that after the Taiwan Assurances Act is legalized, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan have actually moved from “normalization” to “normalization,” which means that the procedures are more flexible and the executive branch has more flexibility in evaluating them, which also helps reduce political interference.
“The Tibetan Policy and Support Act reaffirms the right of the Tibetan people to choose a successor to the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, and any Chinese officials who attempt to interfere with the reincarnation process of the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhist leaders will be targeted for sanctions, including freezing their assets in the United States and being banned from entering the country. In addition, the bill prohibits China from opening additional consulates in the United States until the U.S. is allowed to open a consulate in Lhasa, Tibet. The bill also praises the Dalai Lama’s contribution to promoting democracy in the Tibetan community in exile.
The Voice of Tibet, an India-based media outlet, reported on Monday that Lobsang Senghor, the central secretary of the Tibetan administration, left the United States on Sunday to return to Dharamsala, where he recorded a video sharing the news that Trump had signed the Tibet Policy and Support Act into law in the U.S. House and Senate, saying that the achievement was a historic one.
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