The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Friday he would introduce legislation to deter aggression against Taiwan by identifying targets for economic measures that could be deployed rapidly if China acts against the nation.
US Senator Jim Risch of Idaho said his “deter PRC aggression against Taiwan act” would create a US Department of State and US Department of Treasury-led task force that would identify Chinese military and non-military targets for sanctions, export controls and other economic measures to use against Beijing in case of Chinese aggression against Taiwan.
“Using lessons learned from the challenges in US and partner country sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, this legislation will ensure America is prepared to hit China where it hurts should China follow through on its threats to use violent force against Taiwan,” Risch said in a statement.
Photo: AP
An aide said he planned to introduce the measure tomorrow.
News of the proposed bill comes ahead of an expected meeting this month between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), with Trump seeking to conclude a major trade deal with Washington’s biggest economic and geopolitical rival.
The US is Taipei’s main foreign backer, and some foreign-policy experts and people in Taiwan are concerned that Trump might not be as committed to defense of Taiwan as past US presidents and might be willing to offer Beijing concessions to secure a significant trade deal.
The State Department said the US position on Taiwan has not changed and that Washington opposes any unilateral changes to the “status quo” from either side.
Analysts say China would particularly like the Trump administration to state explicitly that it opposes Taiwanese independence rather than say, as did the administration of former US president Joe Biden, that it did not support it.
Risch’s bill is one of several legislative initiatives in the US Senate and the US House of Representatives that supporters say underscore support in the US Congress for taking a hard line against any Chinese moves on Taiwan.
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