Press Releases

Washington, DC—June 17, 2021….Today, Representative Steve Womack (R-AR) joined Representatives Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA) and Steve Chabot (R-OH)—Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation—and other members in introducing the bipartisan Taiwan Peace and Stability Act, legislation that signals a path forward on U.S. policy toward Taiwan. Specifically, the bill strengthens U.S. support for Taiwan’s participation in the international community, advances U.S.-Taiwan economic ties, and enhances deterrence over a cross-Strait conflict.

“Taiwan is a strong global partner on all levels. The Chinese Communist Party clearly doesn’t like that. Beijing is intent on exerting control over the Indo-Pacific region, and their strategy includes stifling Taiwan’s sovereignty and position on the world stage. We must combat these threats and predatory behavior. This legislation bolsters our ties with—and commitment to—Taiwan. By promoting trade and economic bonds, encouraging their participation in international organizations, and enhancing defense and deterrence efforts—we are supporting our ally and freedom,” said Representative Steve Womack, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

“Taiwan’s democracy is critical to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Chairman Ami Bera. “Yet, Beijing continues its relentless campaign to isolate Taiwan from the international community and has significantly increased its economic and military pressure on Taiwan. The Taiwan Peace and Stability Act will strengthen U.S. support for Taiwan by helping expand Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, advancing U.S. economic ties with Taiwan, and enhancing deterrence over Beijing’s growing military provocations around Taiwan. I am proud to lead a bipartisan group of national security leaders in Congress in reaffirming U.S. support for Taiwan’s democracy and against Beijing’s growing provocations.”

"Beijing has been ramping up its diplomatic, economic, and military pressure against Taiwan for some time now," said Ranking Member Steve Chabot. "That is why, as a founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, I’m pleased to introduce bipartisan legislation with Chairman Bera that responds in each of these three arenas. I’m particularly concerned about the military dimension, and the increasing likelihood of a PRC miscalculation or, even worse, an invasion. While strategic clarity is also necessary for deterrence, this legislation will go a long way to preparing to respond to, and thereby deterring, PRC aggression.”

“The United States must continue to exercise global leadership by promoting peace and security in Asia,” said Representative Don Bacon, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “Recent actions by Communist China to threaten and isolate Taiwan underscore the need for legislation that ensures a free, democratic, and economically prosperous Taiwan remains a strategic priority for the United States. Deterring a Chinese invasion of Taiwan requires proactive measures by the U.S. now. The Taiwan Peace and Stability Act affirms this long-standing bipartisan consensus by strengthening Taiwan’s diplomatic, economic, and physical security.”

“For forty-two years, from the Taiwan Relations Act to the Six Assurances and beyond, the foundation of our relationship with the People’s Republic of China has been that the future of Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means and that any effort by the PRC to determine Taiwan’s future otherwise is a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific if not the world and of grave concern,” said Representative Ed Case, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “The PRC’s increasingly aggressive actions towards Taiwan are fundamentally incompatible with that foundation, and must be taken at face value and reflective of the PRC’s full intent. They require a coordinated, all-government response which strengthens our ties with Taiwan in all spheres and focuses our efforts in the international community toward opposing the PRC’s political, economic and military coercion and fostering a peaceful and democratic resolution of Taiwan’s future.”

"As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I believe that the Taiwan Peace and Stability Act will lead to concrete steps that U.S. allies and partners can take to enhance deterrence over Taiwan. It is critical to preserve the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait in light of Beijing's growing aggression toward Taiwan,” said Representative Kaialiʻi Kahele, a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Click here to view the full legislation.

Summary of Key Provisions of the Taiwan Peace and Stability Act:

• Title I: Supporting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the international community
• Drives a more strategic approach to expanding Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations by directing the State Department to develop an interagency strategy to do so. The strategy will take into account Beijing’s coercive tactics at international organizations and the membership requirements of each organization, enabling a more targeted and effective approach.
• Takes steps to formalize and expand U.S. cooperation with Taiwan on development assistance. These efforts will leverage the unique contributions Taiwan can offer the international community and expand the reach of U.S. assistance.

• Title II: Advancing Taiwan’s economic space
• Expresses Congress’s bipartisan support for expanding economic ties with Taiwan, including under the TIFA Council talks that recently occurred, while working toward more formal agreements.
• Removes barriers to expanding economic and tax agreements with Taiwan by directing the U.S. Trade Representative and other relevant agencies to develop legal frameworks for establishing those agreements, given the unique nature of U.S. relations with Taiwan.

• Title III: Enhancing deterrence over Taiwan
• Expresses Congress’s bipartisan concern over Beijing’s growing military aggression toward Taiwan, while also stating that Taiwan must do more to invest in its asymmetric defense strategy.
• Drives a whole of government review of options to enhance deterrence over a cross-Strait conflict, by directing the President to develop a strategy that encompasses diplomatic, economic, and military tools. Directs the Executive Branch to review concrete steps that U.S. allies and partners can take to expand co-development and co-deployment of military capabilities around the Taiwan Strait, as well as additional steps that Taiwan must take to invest in its own military reforms.
• Prompts the Departments of State and Defense to develop a series of options to support Taiwan in adopting the defense reforms it needs to maintain a credible deterrent toward China, including in defense budgeting, procurement, and manpower reforms.

Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) has represented Arkansas’s Third Congressional District since 2011. He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

womack.house.gov

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