US senators’ Taiwan bill to ‘restructure’ relations with Taipei
- Republican and Democrat duo introduce draft legislation which includes proposed changes to Washington’s long-standing policy
- There are provisions for billions of dollars in security funding and sanctions against Beijing for any aggression towards the island
The Taiwan Policy Act of 2022 threatens severe sanctions against China for any aggression against Taiwan, which Beijing regards as part of its territory. It would also provide US$4.5 billion in foreign military financing over the next four years, as well as designate Taiwan a “major non-Nato ally”, according to the text.
The US, which accuses Beijing of ramping up military coercion towards Taiwan, is the island’s main supporter and arms supplier, a point of increasing friction between Washington and Beijing, whose relations are already at their lowest point in decades.
The sponsors, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Menendez, a Democrat, and Republican Lindsey Graham, said it would be the most comprehensive restructuring of US policy towards the island since the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 – its bedrock since Washington opened up relations with China that year.
“As Beijing continues to seek to coerce and isolate Taiwan there should be no doubt or ambiguity about the depth and strength of our determination to stand with the people of Taiwan and their democracy,” Menendez said in a statement.
He said the bill sent a clear message that China should not make the same mistakes as Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
“The danger will only grow worse if we show weakness in the face of Chinese threats and aggression toward Taiwan,” Graham said. Senate aides said the pair hoped to have the committee vote to send the bill to the Senate floor as early as next week.