China's official Global Times (May 1, 2020) alleged that Taiwan authorities had made huge "donations" to the US in order to promote the passage of the "Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative Act of 2019" on March 26. It said the US government is legitimately seeking to establish a diplomatic presence for the island and "help Taiwan island gain participation in international organizations". The Chinese Foreign Ministry and Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council opposed and condemned the bill. Quoting an unidentified source Global Times said Taiwan authorities had paid huge amounts of money in the form of "donations" to experts and scholars recommended by US Congress members through several educational research institutes such as the "Taiwan Institute of Economic Development" and "Taiwan Research Institute." The US and Taiwan island also designated former White House Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon and former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Hsiao Bi-khim as their contacts to operate and promote the passage of the bill. It identified the US-based "Project 2049 Institute" as one of the organisations that frequently receives "donations" from Taiwan authorities, and recalled that when Project 2049 Institute was first established, Hsiao Bi-khim was an advisor and her relationship with the institute goes beyond the norm. It added that since Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016, Taiwan's economic and cultural representative office in the US and its defense department have "donated" $350,000 to $500,000 to the institute. The Taiwan representative office in the US gave the institute in 2016 $150,000 in funding, while the Taiwan "defense department" also donated about $130,000. The Prospect Foundation of Taiwan donated the considerable amount of $60,000-70,000 to the Project 2049 Institute. Taiwan authorities previously made a $550,000 contribution to the American Enterprise Institute, one of the most powerful conservative think tanks in Washington, through Taiwan's economic and cultural representative office in the US in 2019.
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