The foreign ministry says it will continue monitoring developments in the US, where US President Donald Trump has vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021.

In his statement on Wednesday, President Trump called the US$740.5 billion defense policy bill “a gift to Russia and China.” Trump also said the bill failed “to include critical national security measures” and “includes provisions that fail to respect our veterans and our military’s history.”

The House of Representatives is set to vote on the act again next Monday, and the Senate will convene to discuss the matter Tuesday.

The National Defense Authorization Act includes several Taiwan-related items, such as the Taiwan Relations Act, which allows the US to continue providing Taiwan with defensive weapons. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou says that the act clearly signals the US Congress’s bipartisan support for Taiwan.

Ou also said the government will closely communicate with the Trump administration and both houses of the US Congress while continuing to deepen its security partnership with Washington.