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Taipei, Feb. 2 (CNA) The Republic of China government welcomes Tuesday's passage by the US House of Representatives of the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act (TSEA) which calls for stronger military ties with Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Wednesday.

MOFA spokesman Henry Chen said the ROC government and people appreciate the efforts that the US House of Representative lawmakers have made by voting overwhelmingly to pass the TSEA, but he added that the legislative process is an internal affair of the United States and the MOFA is in no position to comment on it.

National Defense Minister Tang Fei also welcomed the passage of the TSEA, saying that the ROC Ministry of National Defense (MND) welcomes any and all acts and moves that help boost Taiwan's defense. He also noted that the TSEA legislation is an internal US matter and the MND is in no position to comment on it.

Tang said the act still needs to be passed by the US Senate and receive the endorsement of the US president before becoming law, mentioning that the Clinton administration is likely to veto it.

Despite this backdrop, he said the MND will continue to communicate with the Pentagon, explaining the factors affecting Taiwan's national security and asking for more US assistance in addressing Taiwan's defense capability needs.

The House of Representatives rallied vast Democratic support to pass the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act by a margin of 341-70 amid opposition from the White House and Beijing.

The act calls for direct military-to-military contacts between Washington and Taipei, expanded training opportunities for ROC officers, an annual Pentagon assessment of threats to Taiwan's security and periodic reports on Washington's ability to respond to them. The act also increases the number of technical staff at the American Institute in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, MOFA officials declined to comment on the recent visits to the United States by Ding Mou-shih, secretary-general of the Presidential Office, the former secretary-general of the National Security Council who maintains close connections with the US government and security authorities, and Vice Foreign Affairs Minister David Lee, who also has close American links.

Ding and Lee's secretive US visits were reported by local media as being connected to the TSEA legislation.

(By Deborah Kuo)