Source: United States Senator for Florida Marco Rubio
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the Taiwan Peace Through Strength Act. The bill would increase the level of critical technologies provided to Taiwan by fast-tracking the transfer of capabilities and increasing joint training and planning. The bill would also increase coordination between the U.S. and Taiwanese militaries to ensure Taiwan is equipped to defend against an attack and invasion by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
“Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is not the first time an authoritarian regime invaded its neighbor and, unfortunately, it won’t be the last,” Rubio said. “An invasion of Taiwan could happen within this decade. Taiwan needs our support, and my bill will make Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party think twice before launching a foolish invasion. We must do all we can to deter an attack on Taiwan, or we risk losing the Indo-Pacific region to the Chinese Communist Party.”
Specifically, the Taiwan Peace Through Strength Act would:
- Require the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to conduct an annual review of U.S. war plans to defend Taiwan and to develop a list of specific capabilities that Taiwan is approved to acquire based on that assessment;
- Fast-track Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Taiwan by requiring the U.S. Department of State to preclear the capabilities identified in the aforementioned DoD annual review for expedited transfer to Taiwan;
- Compel defense contractors to place Taiwan’s FMS orders ahead of other countries in the production line regardless of the order in which the contracts were signed;
- Amend the Taiwan Relations Act to replace outdated language regarding “arms of a defensive character” with new language that sets an enhanced standard for arms sales to deter conflict with the PLA;
- Establish a comprehensive joint training program aimed at improving Taiwan’s defense capabilities and, ultimately, achieving interoperability;
- Set up a high-level, joint military planning mechanism between the U.S. and Taiwan;
- Ban U.S. defense contractors from doing business in China; and
- Authorize $2 billion per year in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Taiwan.