TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The US House of Representatives on Wednesday (Sept. 25) passed a bill to sanction Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members and discourage China's military agression toward Taiwan. 

The House passed the “Sanctions on the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) Tyranny and Oppression Act,” shortened to the “Stop CCP Act,” with a vote of 243 to 174. The bill says if members of the CCP's Central Committee undermine Hong Kong's autonomy, escalate aggression against the people of Taiwan, or promote the oppression of Uyghur Muslims, the president will prohibit them from buying or selling assets in the US.

According to the bill, the National Security Law promulgated in Hong Kong in July 2020 has caused “severe and irreparable damage to the 'one country, two systems' principle,” further undermining the global community's confidence in China's adherence to international law. It alleged that China continues to suppress the Muslim minority in Xinjiang where it carries out a systematic population-control campaign against ethnic and religious minorities.

The bill points out that after former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office in 2016, the Chinese government intensified its pressure on Taiwan through diplomatic isolation and military provocations. The rapid modernization of the People’s Liberation Army and recent military exercises in the Taiwan Strait and surrounding areas “illustrate a clear threat to Taiwan's security.”

The bill mentions that members of the CCP, led by Xi Jinping (習近平), should be held accountable for undermining Hong Kong's autonomy, escalating aggression against the people of Taiwan, and inflicting ethnic genocide against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Targets of the sanctions include members of the CCP's Central Committee, as well as their adult family members and spouses, or their adult family members.

The bill stipulates that if the US president determines that the aforementioned individuals have violated Hong Kong's autonomy, harassed, intimidated, or increased aggression towards the people of Taiwan, or have fostered political oppression or human rights violations against individuals or social groups (including Uyghurs) within China, they can be legally prevented from buying or selling assets in the US.

Sanctions may also include the cancellation of eligibility for US visas or entry documents and the revocation of existing visas.

According to the bill, under certain circumstances, the president can terminate sanctions under certain conditions, such as if the CCP stops undermining Hong Kong's autonomy and halts the genocide against Uyghurs including the verified closure of internment camps and ending forced labor and forced sterilization practices.

As for Taiwan, sanctions can be terminated if the CCP ceases all forms of threats, military exercises, and aggression against Taiwan, including demonstrating through verifiable means for at least one year that no military or intelligence personnel associated with China or the CCP have violated Taiwan’s airspace, territorial waters, or land mass.

Having passed the House, the bill will be sent to the Senate for review. If the Senate agrees, the bill will be signed into law by the president. 

However, Congress will be in recess until mid-November, compressing the remaining session. The next Congress will convene shortly after the New Year.

On Wednesday, the bill's sponsor Representative Lisa McClain said on her website the CCP is America's “greatest geopolitical threat" and a “direct danger” to its democracy. She explained that imposing sanctions on Xi and CCP leaders “not only addresses their heinous acts but also targets the actual individuals who are giving the orders.”

McClain also took to X to accuse President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of “standing idly by while China commits atrocities and acts of aggression.” McClain said she is “putting the CCP on notice” with the new legislation and added that it is “past due for them to be held accountable.”