Several U.S. House of Representatives recently introduced a bipartisan bill requiring the U.S. Department of Defense to establish a formal partnership with Taiwan to strengthen joint defense industrial capabilities and counter the rapidly growing Chinese military technological threat.
Last Thursday (July 31), Republican Congressman Zach Nunn of Iowa and Democratic Congressman Jill Tokuda of Hawaii joined forces with Republican Congressman John Moolenaar of Michigan, chairman of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Communist Party of China, and Republican Congressman Ashley Hinson of Iowa, a member of the select committee, to introduce the US-Taiwan Defense Innovation Partnership Act.
The bill directs the U.S. Secretary of Defense to establish a strategic partnership with Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense to coordinate defense industrial priorities, expand defense technology cooperation, and deter regional adversaries.
The House Select Committee on China issued a statement last Friday saying that the purpose of this legislation is to counter China’s development of dual-use military technology by coordinating research and development and promoting joint partnerships between U.S. and Taiwanese defense companies, with a focus on jointly developing unmanned vehicles, microchips, directed energy weapons and missile systems.
“Xi Jinping is escalating his coercive actions against Taiwan every day,” Representative Mueller said in a statement. “This legislation will strengthen critical defense industrial cooperation with Taiwan while enhancing our shared preparedness against an increasingly threatening Beijing.”
“The Chinese Communist Party has made clear its intention to occupy Taiwan by 2027,” Representative Nunn said in the statement. “The defense partnership proposed in this bill will serve as a critical deterrent tool, accelerate Taiwan’s access to next-generation American technology, and give it the asymmetric advantages it needs to defend its sovereignty.”
“The United States and our allies and partners face complex security challenges in the Indo-Pacific that require new and innovative technologies, approaches, and suppliers,” Representative Tokuda said in a statement last Thursday. “That is why I am proud to co-sponsor this bill with Representative Nunn to establish a Defense Innovation Partnership between the U.S. Department of Defense and the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan to promote strategic and meaningful collaboration, strengthen our allies’ defense industrial base, and counter the CCP’s growing technological and military influence. This effort will benefit both Taiwan and the United States as we work together to strengthen a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
“Since entering Congress, I have been a staunch advocate for diplomacy with Taiwan, and I remain committed to maximizing our strategic partnership with our long-standing ally,” Rep. Hinson said in the statement.
In addition to establishing direct cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan defense ministries, the bill also includes:
• Prioritize joint development of next-generation defense technologies, including unmanned vehicles, artificial intelligence, microchips, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems, and directed energy weapons.
• Strengthen coordination on supply chain resilience and enhance the U.S.-Taiwan defense industrial base.
• Accelerate the deployment of critical capabilities to deter Chinese Communist Party aggression.
According to the U.S. legislative process, a bill must be passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives in consistent versions, and then signed by the President before it can become law.
