Congressman Blake Moore Introduces Bicameral Legislation to Deter Chinese Aggression Against Taiwan
WASHINGTON – Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT) introduced the Deterring Economic Aggression Through Retaliation (DETER) Act, a bicameral piece of legislation with Senator James Lankford (R-OK) to counter the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) aggressive behavior and use economic leverage to prevent an invasion of Taiwan.
The DETER Act would look to avert a future crisis in the Taiwan Strait by revoking China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status with the United States if the PRC engages in an act of military aggression or serious economic coercion, such as a blockade, that violates the sovereignty or territorial integrity of Taiwan. This bill also requires the United States Trade Representative and other agencies to conduct a regular assessment of current U.S. trade and supply chain vulnerabilities that would be affected by PNTR suspension, along with proposals to mitigate those risks and reduce reliance on China in the meantime.
"There are times for unpredictability in matters of foreign policy and there are times for telling our adversaries what the consequences of their actions would look like,” said Congressman Blake Moore. “Xi Jinping has openly stated that he aims to conquer and ‘reunify’ Taiwan and has built up China's military posture for this very purpose. A crisis in the Taiwan Strait, in which China breaks the first island chain in the Indo-Pacific and chokes off international trade and critical materials, would be catastrophic for American families, jobs, and livelihoods. Senator Lankford and I believe that we need to send Communist China a clear message that changes their calculus and prevents an invasion. I am proud to use my position on the House Ways and Means Committee to advance U.S. national security through trade policy.”
“The Chinese Communist Party has consistently taken advantage of poorer nations around the globe. They have eliminated personal freedom in Hong Kong, committed untold human rights violations, stolen American intellectual property, and continually threaten their neighbors,” said Senator James Lankford. “The DETER Act will leverage China’s access to the American market to deter further aggression and allow the US to immediately act in the event Beijing invades Taiwan. We must not wait until a war has started—we must act now to put China on notice and ultimately deter the CCP from invading Taiwan.”
Background:
PNTR provides foreign countries “most favored nation status” in U.S. trade law, which gives them preferential access to the U.S. market with fewer tariff barriers. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Congress quickly revoked PNTR status for the Russian Federation and Belarus. However, Vladimir Putin’s miscalculation of Western resolve was partly because the United States failed to send clear signals of the economic consequences he would face before he invaded Ukraine. The United States should not repeat this mistake when dealing with Xi Jinping and his open desire to conquer Taiwan. The DETER Act will create and demonstrate clear economic consequences if China engages in military aggression against the island of Taiwan.
This bill received primary referral to the House Ways and Means Committee, which holds jurisdiction over all foreign trade and revenue-raising measures in the House of Representatives.
###