TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Representatives Mike Gallagher and Raja Krishnamoorthi stressed the importance of avoiding a conflict in the Taiwan Strait while speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday (Sept. 11).
Gallagher said most of his peers in Washington D.C. are united in trying to avoid a war with China in the short term. “A conflict with China over Taiwan would be catastrophically destructive,” he said.
In response to U.S. President Joe Biden’s comment that Chinese President Xi Jinping is unlikely to make a move on Taiwan due to economic woes, Gallagher said, “It’s equally as plausible that as China confronts serious economic and demographic issues, Xi Jinping could get more risk acceptant and could get less predictable and could do something very stupid.”
In the long term, Gallagher said Washington’s goal should be to maintain America’s superpower status. “A world in which the U.S. is the dominant superpower is a more peaceful and just world," he said, but he also stressed the importance of America's “fantastic network of allies and partners.”
Gallagher said the measures proposed by the Biden administration in August to limit investment in certain Chinese industries were not proactive enough. He suggested that the U.S. selectively and strategically "decouple" from China and avoid investing in activities that could be detrimental to national security.
Krishnamoorthi lamented that the U.S. has not moved swiftly enough to bolster Taiwan’s defense needs. “We have not done enough with regard to equipping Taiwan in deterring military force by the CCP. Unfortunately, we kind of know what needs to be done but it’s not being done fast enough…That’s one thing that has to happen like yesterday,” he said.
He noted that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has not abided by international rules, including pursuing peaceful resolutions to disagreements. The lawmaker said he was not sure if it was possible for Xi to follow “the rules of the road.”
He stressed that the U.S. must follow a hedging strategy that includes protecting American values, commerce, industries, and working with partners, and seeking bilateral trade agreements. By doing so, it is possible that these multilateral partnerships could pressure the CCP to adjust.
China fears seeing the U.S. aligning with allies, so this puts guardrails against the CCP from playing us against each other, Krishnamoorthi said.
The two lawmakers led a delegation in New York to show financial and business executives the risks of investing in China. They hosted a tabletop simulation of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait for representatives from investment banks, former pharmaceutical executives, and retired four-star U.S. military officers.
Gallagher made a low-profile trip to Taiwan in February, where he met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and pledged to do all he could to bolster Taiwan’s defensive capability and urge Congress to speed up weapons deliveries to the nation.
