The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and Chinese Communist Party has rolled out ten "policy recommendations" and proposals on how to "preserve peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."
In a report on Wednesday, the Republican-led panel expressed hope that the findings would be included in the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The House earlier postponed consideration of the 2024 NDAA while Congress works to resolve an impasse over the US’ debt ceiling.
In an apparent nod to China, the report warned that "the United States will likely be unready to deter an invasion of Taiwan" if "urgent steps" are not taken.
The survey’s recommendations included increasing sales of critical munitions to Taipei to present the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with "a more challenging and complex threat environment", as well as developing a joint plan with allies to boost economic engagement with Taiwan.
Additionally, the panel calls for creating a war reserve stockpile of weapons in Taiwan, hardening and distributing American forces throughout the Indo-Pacific region as well as expanding training and coordination between the US and Taiwanese militaries.
The proposals come almost a week after Washington and Taipei clinched a deal on the first part of the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade.
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai told reporters last week that the agreement "represents an important step forward in strengthening the US-Taiwan economic relationship." She added that the deal covers customs and border procedures, regulatory practices, and small business.
According to Tai, the initial agreement will be followed by negotiations on the two’s more complicated trade areas, such as agriculture, digital trade, labor and environmental standards, as well as and non-market policies and practices.
Wendy Cutler, vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former US trade negotiator was cited by American media as saying that "Beijing is likely to complain about this announcement, but its words will fall on deaf ears in Washington as negotiations continue'' with Taiwan.
Although the US does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Washington has a representative office in Taipei and remains the island's biggest supplier of military hardware. The US also often sends its warships and surveillance planes to the Taiwan Strait, with Beijing slamming such missions as provocations and noting that Washington is nothing but "a security risk creator in the region."