Nineteen US lawmakers, nearly all of them from President George W. Bush's Republican party, introduced a bill in the House of Representatives on November 8 backing UN membership for Taiwan. The move was led by New Jersey Republican Representative Scott Garrett.
The bill said Taiwan and its 23 million people "deserve membership in the United Nations" and that the United States should fulfill a commitment "to more actively support Taiwan's membership in appropriate international organizations." No date has been fixed for debate on bill in the US legislature.
Local Taiwan newspapers have reported that Washington has decided to postpone the sale of dozens of F-16 C/D fighters to Taipei in an effort to show its displeasure. (Source: channelmediaasia.com, Nov 10, 2007).