Republicans in the House of Representatives, led by Ohio Rep. Max Miller, are calling on European countries to declare their support for Taiwan and oppose a potential Chinese invasion of the island democracy.
Although the U.S. formally maintains strategic ambiguity about its plans in the event of a Chinese invasion, President Joe Biden has repeatedly suggested he would order the military to defend Taiwan. French president Emmanuel Macron, on the other hand, urged European countries not to get involved in a potential clash between the U.S. and China. His April remarks drew widespread condemnation, even though Europe is increasingly reliant on Chinese energy and other exports.
Miller’s resolution, introduced alongside China Select Committee chairman Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin and New York Rep. Mike Lawler, calls on Europe, particularly countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), to offer more support for Taiwan and attempt to deter a Chinese invasion. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Mike Gallagher To Warn Of ‘Maximum Danger’ To Taiwan As Xi Threatens ‘All Measures’)
The House “urges transatlantic unity on a robust deterrence policy to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” and “calls on all European heads of state to express support for maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and condemn any use or threat of use of force,” according to the resolution. CIA Director William Burns has warned China may “be ready” to invade Taiwan by 2027.
Read the resolution here:
2023 04 26 H.res .Xx Taiwan Strait by Michael Ginsberg on Scribd
Biden said in an October 2021 CNN town hall that the U.S. “ha[s] a commitment” to defend Taiwan. He agreed in May 2022 that the U.S. would “get involved militarily to defend Taiwan,” although members of his administration walked the comments back both times. The strategic ambiguity policy, developed in the 1970s, is intended to deter an invasion, although some members of Congress argue it should be no longer be maintained.
“Western democracies share far more in common with each other than with Communist China. It is astonishing to me that the French president would even suggest siding with a communist nation over a democratic one. Our resolution asks our European friends a simple question: Do you side with Taiwan and democratic values, or with an aggressive communist power that threatens the world order? This is a time for unity, and I believe most Europeans recognize that,” Miller said in a statement to the Daily Caller.
China deployed an aircraft carrier near Taiwan’s southeast coast in response to Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy’s visit to the island in April. The People’s Liberation Army flew 57 planes around Taiwan at the beginning of 2023, including 28 that reportedly breached Taiwan’s airspace.