WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement outlining steps Congress and the Biden Administration should take to deter increasing Chinese military aggression towards Taiwan:
“Congress – working across the aisle and with the administration – has the opportunity to take real steps now to deter Chinese military aggression towards Taiwan. Given U.S. interests at stake, we need to do more than just sell arms. We must ensure our training bolsters deterrence, that our militaries can operate better together, and that we take actions to assure Taiwan of our commitment.
“In November, I introduced the Taiwan Deterrence Act which creates a new Foreign Military Financing program for Taiwan. This program would accelerate Taiwan’s acquisition of the right capabilities and incentivize closer U.S.-Taiwan security relations. This measure should be considered by Congress expeditiously.
“We must not waste time – U.S. interests are too vital and the situation is too urgent. We cannot wait until the last minute like we did with Ukraine. We have to take unprecedented steps to counter the threat posed by the Chinese military.”
The Taiwan Deterrence Act was introduced on November 4, 2021. Text of the legislation can be found here.
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