The US House of Representatives introduced a version of the Taiwan Policy Act on Wednesday. That comes after the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee passed a version of the bill earlier this month.
Top US House Foreign Affairs Committee member Michael McCaul introduced the bill alongside 35 other representatives. McCaul says Taiwan is a critical national security partner facing an unprecedented level of threat from China. He says now is the time to arm Taiwan – before an invasion, not after.
The House bill is similar to the Senate version. It calls for changing the name of Taiwan’s representative office in Washington to include the word Taiwan instead of Taipei. It would require Senate confirmation of directors of the United States’ representative office in Taiwan. And it would provide an unprecedented US$6.5 billion in military aid to Taiwan over five years.
Beijing has condemned the act as a violation of US commitments to China over Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out taking the country by force.
The House committee must now pass its version of the bill. Then House and Senate members must reconcile the two bills, before passing the same version through both houses. The final bill must receive President Joe Biden’s signature before becoming law.