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U.S. panel urges of China sanctions body amid Taiwan threat

ROC Central News Agency

11/16/2022 11:39 AM

Washington, Nov. 15 (CNA) The United States should create an interagency committee under the president to develop options and plans for sanctioning China in the event of hostile actions against Taiwan, a congressional advisory panel has said.

The conclusion was one of 10 key recommendations made by the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) in an annual report to Congress that was released on Tuesday.

Congress should "enact legislation creating a permanent interagency committee in the executive branch" charged with developing plans for sanctions or other economic measures in the event of "a Chinese attack, blockade, or other hostile action against Taiwan," the report said.

The committee would also evaluate the economic and political consequences of the plans and coordinate across various agencies to implement them, it said.

Among its other recommendations, the USCC said Congress should instruct the Pentagon to draft a report on how the U.S. can bolster its "capacity to resist force" in the event of a Chinese attack and attempted invasion of Taiwan.

Congress should also make available "significant additional multiyear defense funds" for a planning group of Taiwan and U.S. defense officials to identify "interoperable and complementary capabilities" needed for Taiwan's defense, and urge Taiwan to commit funds to procure its share of those capabilities, the report said.

In addition to its recommendations, the USCC also analyzed developments in Taiwan over the last year in one of the report's five main chapters.

Discussing the impact of the war in Ukraine, the panel said China's main takeaways were likely to be on the importance of managing information, mitigating the impact of potential sanctions, and learning from the performance of Russia's military.

Taiwan's leaders, meanwhile, may conclude on the basis of Ukraine's experience that they must adopt an asymmetric warfare strategy, involve the civilian population in resistance efforts, and build stockpiles of critical materials, the report said.

While Taiwan's economy showed resilience in 2022, its vulnerability to Beijing's coercion has also come into greater focus, as the threat of "a Chinese blockade looms over the island's reliance on imported energy and food," according to the commission.

Aside from Taiwan, the 785-page report also included chapters on CCP decision-making and Xi Jinping's (習近平) centralization of authority, U.S.-China economic and trade relations, U.S.-China security and foreign affairs, and Hong Kong.

The USCC is an independent government agency comprised of 12 commissioners who are appointed to two-year terms by the majority and minority leaders of the U.S. Senate, and by the speaker of the House of Representatives.

(By Stacy Hsu and Matthew Mazzetta)

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