Why has reference to Taiwan attending Rimpac been removed from US defence bill?
Senators’ bid to ‘strongly encourage’ invitation is removed from compromise bill, raising questions in Taipei
Some analysts have warned that the removal of language approved by the US Senate in the 2026 National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) could even pave the way for Beijing’s return to the world’s largest naval exercise.
The wording vanished during final negotiations in Congress last week – despite the strengthening of other Taiwan-related security provisions. There was no other change when the House passed the compromise version on Wednesday.
While the foreign ministry in Taipei stressed that military cooperation with the US continued to deepen in quality and scale, analysts said the omission revived long-standing anxieties over the limits of US support – particularly on highly visible multilateral platforms that Beijing seeks to block.
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“This deserves very close attention,” said Chieh Chung, an assistant professor of international relations and strategic studies at Tamkang University in New Taipei City, who suspects the removal was pushed by the White House.