McCarthy, McCaul, Hsiao, China Task Force Members Discuss Taiwan Strategy

Statement

Taiwan is a vibrant democracy -- its people want peace, freedom, and the right to determine their own future. But over the past several years, we have seen mounting aggression from Beijing. The Chinese Communist Party continues to show itself as a ruthless and aggressive dictatorship. As we learned in Ukraine, we must work to deter this aggression before it turns into conflict.

Supporting Taiwan is not only the right thing to do for democracy and freedom worldwide, it's in America's best interests to empower Taiwan on the world stage. Congress must continue to act -- not only to deter Communist China, but also to strengthen our ties with Taiwan. That is why strengthening Taiwan remains a major focal point of the Republican-led China Task Force.

To continue their progress and learn more about what can be done in the House of Representatives, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, China Task Force Chairman Michael McCaul, Bi-khim Hsiao, the Taiwanese Ambassador to the United States, and other members of the China Task Force held a roundtable to discuss the options that are available and how actions taken now can deter China in the future.

Their takeaways: Taiwan is one of the U.S.'s largest trade partners and plays a key role in providing goods to the global economy. The United States and its international allies cannot afford to get caught off guard again in the event of a major international conflict.

Highlights from the roundtable are below:

Leader McCarthy (CA-23): "Congress must continue to act -- not only to deter Communist China, but also to strengthen our ties with Taiwan. I believe we should consider solutions such as increasing arms sales to Taiwan, sending Taiwan the right weapons to deter the CCP, allowing Taiwan to participate in training exercises like RIMPAC, allowing Taiwan to display their symbols of national sovereignty in the U.S., increasing commercial and trade ties, and modernizing our own defense industrial base to maintain our unmatched military capability."

Taiwanese Ambassador to the United States, Bi-khim Hsiao: "Over the last two years, the China Task Force has effectively raised awareness and brought to light the malign behavior of the Chinese Communist Party around the world and the challenges China faces to the international order… the steadfast bipartisan support for Taiwan has been crucial for maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan strait."

Ranking Member Michael McCaul (TX-10): "Taiwan is not a partisan issue, it is a bipartisan issue. We, as Americans, stand with Taiwan… when it comes to arms sales, as the Leader mentioned, we need to do everything we can to arm Taiwan now. We cannot make the same mistake like we did with Ukraine and wait until after the invasion."

Rep. Young Kim (CA-39): "Taiwan is an important ally of the United States and friend in freedom, democracy, and global health security. As Taiwan faces growing aggression from the Chinese Communist Party, our partnership is more important than ever."

Rep. Mark Green (TN-07): "Taiwan is a thriving democracy, a technological powerhouse, and a crucial friend to the United States… Communist China has ramped up its threats against Taiwan, and as Members of Congress, we must take action to deter China and affirm Taiwan's right to exist."

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