Скачать или смотреть US House committee passes pro-Taiwan bill, Germany signs air transport agreement

Another pro-Taiwan bill is making its way through the U.S. Congress. The House Foreign Affairs Committee has passed the "Ensuring American Global Leadership Act," or the EAGLE Act, which contains several Taiwan-friendly provisions. One is a request that the U.S. secretary of state negotiate a name change for Taiwan''s de facto embassy in Washington, allowing the name to contain the word "Taiwan." Also on Thursday, Germany and Taiwan signed an air transport agreement, allowing for more passenger and cargo flights between the two countries.

The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday voted to pass a bill aiming to boost U.S. competitiveness against China. The EAGLE Act calls for stronger Taiwan ties as well as more security and economic cooperation. It also orders the U.S. state secretary to enter negotiations with Taiwan, to rename the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office to “Taiwan Representative Office.” The bill also aims to amend the Taipei Act passed last year, noting that the United Nations did not truly resolve the issue of Taiwan’s representation in international organizations. It also incorporates several other pro-Taiwan bills from the past.

Chao Tien-lin
DPP lawmaker
The EAGLE Act, passed by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a move to change the name of Taiwan’s representative office, from Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office to “Taiwan Representative Office.” This would be an important milestone in the normalization of Taiwan-U.S. relations. It’s also acknowledges that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent political entity. We thank the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee for its decision, and we hope that the legislation can be enacted smoothly.

Taiwan’s relationship with Germany has also taken a major step forward. Taiwan’s envoy to Germany, Shieh Jhy-wey, and Germany’s representative to Taiwan, Thomas Prinz, on Thursday signed an agreement on air transport, witnessed by transport minister Wang Kuo-tsai. The deal was in negotiations for five years, and it will replace one signed in 2001. According to Shieh, the new agreement will allow for direct flights between Taiwan and Munich, on top of the current non-stop route to Frankfurt. It also increases the maximum number of weekly passenger flights between the two countries from seven to 11. It also allows for more cargo flights between Taiwan and the two German airports.

Wang Ting-yu
DPP lawmaker
In the five or six years since Tsai Ing-wen took office, Taiwan and Germany have actually signed a lot of agreements. More than a dozen of them. I trust that, on the basis of this foundation, Taiwan will be able to develop better diplomatic and people-to-people relations with Europe and Germany.

The previous air transport agreement had been signed by the heads of local civic groups on behalf of their countries. This time, the signing was handled by the de facto ambassadors of both nations. Shieh says the change shows substantial progress in Taiwan-Germany relations.