Invite Taiwan to massive RIMPAC naval exercises, US defense act says
CNN
Taiwan should be invited to the world's largest naval exercise next year, according to the US' 2022 defense spending blueprint signed into law by President Joe Biden this week.
The 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) says the invitation would supplement US efforts to support the self-governed democratic island in the face of "increasingly coercive and aggressive behavior" by China.
The NDAA authorizes appropriations for national security programs across the US Defense, Energy and State departments. Section 1246 of the act deals with Taiwan, which split with mainland China more than 70 years ago but which Beijing considers part of its territory and leader Xi Jinping has vowed to bring under China's control.
The Republican-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic on Thursday morning will send a letter to US Attorney General Merrick Garland referring a potential criminal case involving former New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo to the Department of Justice, alleging he lied to Congress.