On September 16, 2022, the Taiwan Policy Act 2022 bill will be discussed in the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As noted in, Xi and Taiwan: An Excessive Response of August 04, 2022, "This bi-partisan bill was "read-in" to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 16 and had a hearing on August 3. The bill is described by its sponsor as "the most comprehensive restructuring of US policy toward Taiwan since the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979". If passed, the three main provisions pose significant problems for the CCP/Xi:
- Designating Taiwan as a US major non-NATO ally,
- The provision of $4.5bn in security assistance over four years,
- Expansion of Taiwan's diplomatic space through participation in international organizations and multinational trade agreements."
The sponsor, Senator Robert Menedez (D-NJ), is Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee.
On September 02, 2022, the Biden Administration announced $1.9 bn of arms sales to Taiwan. The package consists of:
- $655.4 mn of support to Taiwan's Surveillance Radar Program for AD warning
- $355 mn for AGM-84L-1 Block II Harpoon air-sea missiles
- $85.6 mn for AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder air-air missiles
However, there is $14 bn backlog, including for 100 Harpoon, and the bill aims to address this by requiring the State and Defense Depts to "prioritize and expedite" foreign military sales to Taiwan.
With China facing a number of other problems (see China/Taiwan: Update of September 03, 2022), and the 20th CCP National Congress scheduled for October 16, 2022, that is to vote on Xi's expected re-election to an unprecedented third term as Chairman. So, how will Xi react if the Taiwan Policy Act 2022 moves forward?
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