TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Representatives Mike Gallagher and Raja Krishnamoorthi revealed lessons from a recent war game simulating a Chinese attack on Taiwan in a CNBC interview on Tuesday (Sept. 12).
The war game, set in 2028, was intended to show financial and business executives the risks of investing in China. Gallagher said the simulation revealed that America’s options were limited unless it took action today “to reduce some of the coercive economic leverage that China has over us.”
In response to the debate about whether to protect Taiwan at all costs, the representative said there were many reasons to defend Taiwan. He said the U.S. would not be able to fulfill its treaty commitments in the Indo-Pacific if the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seized Taiwan.
China would also hold the world “economically hostage” if it gained control of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, Gallagher said. He also highlighted the democratic partnership between Taiwan and the U.S., saying, “There’s something fundamentally different about defending an existing and vibrant democracy from authoritarian aggression. If we don’t stand for that, I’m not sure what we stand for as leaders of the free world.”
Commenting on decoupling from China, Gallagher said CEOs and business executives are beginning to see the risks of their supply chain or business models depending on China. Beijing threatened to weaponize the pharmaceutical ingredient supply chain during the pandemic, he said.
Gallagher said he recognized change will not happen overnight and that it is about finding a “mix of sticks and carrots” to facilitate companies to diversify their supply chains over a decade to minimize the risks they face in China.
Krishnamoorthi said, “If the CCP moves on Taiwan, it would lead to a catastrophic war, a global depression, and tens of thousands of lives being lost on all sides. That’s something we have to prevent.” This requires the U.S. to work with partners and allies to combat “economic aggression,” he added.
The representative acknowledged that many private sector companies are already heeding the warnings of Congress. The question is, “Do we need to put more incentives in place to accelerate that process?” he said.
The two lawmakers are members of the U.S. House China committee, a bipartisan effort to address the threat posed by the CCP and strategize ways to protect American interests.
Gallagher made a low-profile trip to Taiwan in February, where he met 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.
