WASHINGTON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday approved legislation that would significantly enhance U.S. military support for Taiwan, including provisions for billions of dollars in additional security assistance, amid increased pressure from China toward the democratically governed island.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee backed the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022 by 17-5. The strong bipartisan vote was a clear indication of support from both Republicans and President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats for changes in U.S. policy toward Taiwan, such as treating Taiwan as a major non-NATO ally.

The act also includes extensive language on sanctions toward China in the event of hostilities across the strait separating it from the mainland.

"We need to be clear-eyed about what we are facing," said Senator Bob Menendez, the committee's Democratic chairman, while stressing that the United States does not seek war or any increase in tensions with Beijing.
The committee's approval paved the way for a vote in the full Senate, but there has been no word on when that might take place. To become law, it must also pass the House of Representatives and be signed by President Joe Biden, whose administration has expressed concerns about portions of the legislation.
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The White House said on Tuesday it was in talks with members of Congress on how to change the bill to ensure that it does not change long-standing U.S. policy toward Taiwan that it considers effective.
The Taiwan bill is likely to be folded into a larger piece of legislation expected to pass late this year, such as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an annual bill setting policy for the Department of Defense.




華盛頓，9 月 14 日（路透社）——美國參議院委員會周三批准了一項立法，該法案將顯著加強美國對台灣的軍事支持，包括提供數十億美元的額外安全援助，因為中國對台灣的壓力越來越大。

參議院外交關係委員會以 17 票對 5 票通過了 2022 年台灣政策法案。 強大的兩黨投票清楚地表明共和黨人和喬·拜登總統的民主黨同僚都支持美國改變對台政策，例如將台灣視為主要的非北約盟友。

該法案還包括在海峽兩岸與大陸隔開的敵對行動中對中國實施制裁的廣泛措辭。

委員會民主黨主席、參議員鮑勃梅南德斯說：“我們需要清醒地看到我們所面臨的情況，”同時強調美國不尋求戰爭或與北京的緊張關係加劇。

該委員會的批准為參議院全體投票鋪平了道路，但尚無關於何時進行投票的消息。 要成為法律，它還必須通過眾議院並由喬·拜登總統簽署，他的政府對立法的部分內容表示擔憂。

白宮週二表示，正在與國會議員就如何修改該法案進行談判，以確保它不會改變美國長期以來認為有效的對台政策。

台灣法案很可能被納入預計將於今年晚些時候通過的更大的立法，例如國防部的年度法案製定政策《國防授權法》（NDAA）。