OBAMA SENDS TAIWAN CIVIL NUCLEAR DEAL TO CONGRESS

A new civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Taiwan was sent to Congress yesterday by President Obama. The agreement between the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Culture Representative Office is the result of a renegotiation of a previous agreement with Taiwan, and will enter into force after it sits before Congress for 90 legislative days. “Over the last two decades, the authorities on Taiwan have established a reliable record on nonproliferation and on commitments to nonproliferation,” states a message Obama sent to Congress yesterday. “While the political status of the authorities on Taiwan prevents them from formally acceding to multilateral nonproliferation treaties or agreements, the authorities on Taiwan have voluntarily assumed commitments to adhere to the provisions of multilateral treaties and initiatives.”