US lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bipartisan bill to bolster the resilience of Taiwan’s submarine cables to counter China’s hostile activities.
The proposal, titled the critical undersea infrastructure resilience initiative act, was cosponsored by Republican representatives Mike Lawler and Greg Stanton, and Democratic Representative Dave Min.
US Senators John Curtis and Jacky Rosen also introduced a companion bill in the US Senate, which has passed markup at the chamber’s Committee on Foreign Relations.
Photo: Cheng I-hwa, AFP
The House’s version of the bill would prioritize the deployment of sensors to detect disruptions or potential sabotage in real-time and enhance early warning capabilities through global intelligence sharing frameworks, Lawler said.
The bill would also authorize rapid response protocols to repair damage, mitigate downtime and expand coordination among Taiwan, the US and the latter’s regional allies to bolster regional resilience, he added.
“Undersea infrastructure is the backbone of global communications and economic stability. As threats from China continue to grow, the US must lead in ensuring these systems are protected, resilient and secure,” Lawler said. “This bipartisan legislation strengthens our ability to deter sabotage, respond quickly to disruptions and stand firmly with Taiwan and our allies in the Indo-Pacific.”
The bill seeks to enhance Taiwan’s maritime domain, authorize the US Coast Guard to conduct joint patrols in and around the Taiwan Strait, and build cooperative relationships with international partners to protect undersea cable networks, he said.
It also aims to mandate a Cross-Strait Contingency Planning Group to conduct exercises on specific scenarios, identify vulnerabilities in global supply chains and critical infrastructure, and develop contingency plans with allies and partners, Lawler said.
The bill would require the US government to increase diplomatic pressure on China to abide by international norms, broaden public diplomacy and information sharing, and promote global awareness of threats to cables and other undersea infrastructure, he said, adding that people who are responsible for or complicit in sabotaging undersea systems serving Taiwan and allies of the US would be sanctioned.
Stanton was quoted as saying that “China has been deliberately targeting this infrastructure as part of a ‘gray zone’ campaign to isolate Taiwan without firing a shot. The critical undersea infrastructure resilience initiative act fights back against this aggression — hardening cable networks, deploying real-time monitoring, and imposing real consequences on those responsible for sabotage.”
Meanwhile, Curtis said: “We can’t stand idle as China ramps up its tactics to isolate Taiwan, including by sabotaging its vital undersea cables.”
“Our bipartisan legislation sends a clear message: The United States stands with Taiwan and our allies in defending shared infrastructure, sovereignty and freedom,” Curtis added.
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