New Attempts by U.S. Congress To Undermine One-China Policy

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Menendez has introduced the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2023. The bill was approved by the committee earlier this year. It will dramatically enhance the US defense partnership with Taiwan by establishing for the first time a specific defense modernization for Taiwan, authorizing up to $10 billion in security assistance for that purpose. It also requires a whole-of-government strategy to counter “Chinese influence campaigns and economic coercion targeting Taiwan and countries supporting Taiwan.” In addition, it provides additional support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, advances critical cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan on issues related to public health, creates a Taiwan Fellowship Program, and direct the Executive Branch to provide Congress with new assessments on China’s nuclear threat and how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has affected China’s posturing vis-à-vis Taiwan.