Following President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 24, the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) urges the Trump administration to move forward without further delay on the pending $14 billion Taiwan arms package and ensure the timely delivery of critical defense capabilities already approved for Taiwan.

“U.S. policy must reinforce Taiwan’s ability to defend itself and must never oppose Taiwan’s independence — not allow Beijing to dictate Taiwan’s defense needs or turn Taiwan’s security and independent sovereignty into leverage in U.S.-China negotiations,” said FAPA National President Dr. Su-Mei Kao (林素梅). “We strongly condemn the escalating military and gray-zone coercion against Taiwan by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), as well as its efforts to pressure Washington to restrict Taiwan’s access to the capabilities it needs to defend itself.”

 

On September 24, FAPA joined hundreds of advocates from the Taiwanese, Uyghur, Tibetan, and Hong Kong communities who gathered near the White House to protest Xi’s visit. Invited to address the crowd, FAPA Executive Director Anny Chiao-Yun Hsiao (蕭喬勻) stated, “Xi Jinping says he supports peace and prosperity. If so, China must stop attacking Taiwan’s democracy, stop isolating Taiwan from the world, and stop sending warplanes toward Taiwan. We are here to ensure that Taiwan stays safe and free. Keep your hands off Taiwan!”

 

The PRC’s military and maritime gray-zone pressure against Taiwan has reached unprecedented levels. In July alone, Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration detected a record 244 Chinese coast guard, research, and other government vessels around Taiwan’s main island — averaging nearly eight per day, not including Chinese military warships operating on a near-daily basis. A recent CommonWealth Magazine investigation analyzing 1.8 billion vessel-tracking records further documented China Coast Guard operations expanding east of Taiwan and across the First Island Chain, underscoring Beijing’s unilateral efforts to alter the status quo in the Western Pacific.

“Credible deterrence along the First Island Chain is directly tied to critical U.S. security interests in the Indo-Pacific,” FAPA National President Dr. Kao emphasized. “Strengthening Taiwan’s ability to defend itself is an indispensable investment in U.S. security and regional peace, helping to reduce the risk of a wider conflict that would require far greater American military resources.”

 

On Capitol Hill, senators from both parties have continued to press the Trump administration to move forward with the pending $14 billion arms package and to expedite other stalled security assistance for Taiwan. Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of seven House members stressed the importance of strengthening Taiwan’s self-defense and reaffirmed that, consistent with the Six Assurances, the United States must never consult with Beijing on arms sales to Taiwan.
 

在美國總統川普（Donald Trump）於 9 月 24 日與中國國家主席習近平會面後，台灣人公共事務會（Formosan Association for Public Affairs, FAPA）呼籲川普政府，應儘速推進目前積壓、總額達 140 億美元的對台軍售案，不該再有任何延宕，並應確保已核准的關鍵軍售項目與防衛能力能及時交付台灣。

 

「美國政策必須強化台灣的自我防衛能力，且絕不應反對台灣獨立——絕不能任由北京左右台灣的防衛需求，或讓台灣的安全與獨立主權成為美中談判的籌碼，」FAPA 總會會長林素梅博士表示。「我們強烈譴責中華人民共和國持續升高對台灣的軍事與灰色地帶脅迫，以及其企圖向華府施壓、限制台灣取得自我防衛所需能力的行徑。」

 

9 月 24 日，FAPA 與來自台灣、維吾爾、西藏及香港社群的數百名倡議人士齊聚白宮附近，抗議習近平訪美。FAPA 執行長蕭喬勻受邀向現場群眾發表演說時表示：「習近平聲稱支持和平與繁榮，既然如此，中國就必須停止攻擊台灣的民主、停止在國際上孤立台灣，更必須停止派遣軍機侵擾台灣。我們今天站在這裡，就是要確保台灣持續安全與自由。習近平與中共，別把手伸向台灣！」

中共對台灣施加的軍事與海上灰色地帶壓力，已達前所未有的程度。僅在 7 月，台灣海巡署就在台灣本島周邊偵測到創紀錄的 244 艘次中國海警船、科研船及其他政府公務船，平均每天近 8 艘；且這還不包括幾乎每天都在台灣周邊活動的中國軍艦。近期《天下雜誌》分析 18 億筆船舶航跡資料的調查進一步顯示，中國海警活動正持續向台灣東部及第一島鏈更廣泛海域擴張，凸顯北京企圖單方面改變西太平洋現狀。

 

FAPA 林總會長強調：「第一島鏈沿線的可信嚇阻力，直接攸關美國在印太地區的關鍵安全利益。強化台灣自我防衛能力，是對美國自身安全與區域和平不可或缺的投資。這不僅有助於降低爆發更大規模衝突的風險，更能避免美國未來被迫投入更為龐大的軍事資源。」

 

在美國國會，跨黨派參議員持續敦促川普政府推進目前積壓的 140 億美元對台軍售案，並加速推動其他延宕中的對台安全援助。與此同時，7 位跨黨派眾議員也強調強化台灣自我防衛能力的重要性，並重申依據「六項保證」，美國絕不可就對台軍售事宜與北京進行諮商。

 

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