Greater engagement with Taiwan is to our mutual benefit

President Biden's recent visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping may have provided a glimmer of hope that tensions between the United States and the People's Republic of China may be easing. Unfortunately, the lack of progress on the key issue of Taiwan serves as a reminder to us that some serious challenges remain and that rhetoric should not be confused with reality. It also became.

The past two years have shown us that the world remains a very dangerous place. Russia blindly invaded Ukraine, launching the largest ground war in Europe since World War II, followed by brutal and inhumane attacks on Israeli civilians by the Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hamas. After that, people began to look at China with uneasiness, wondering if there was a good reason for it. The Chinese Communist Party will soon follow suit and use threats against Taiwan to its advantage.

The threat is real and of vital concern to the United States for a variety of reasons.

The first is economic. The United States does a lot of trade with Taiwan, much of it in the high-tech sector. 90% of the world's most advanced semiconductors These products, which power everything from our cars and trucks to our most advanced jet fighters to the cell phone and laptop you're probably reading this right now, are made in Taiwan. Not only that, but a whopping 60% of world trade passes through the Taiwan Strait.

But our concerns for Taiwan's security are not just economic. Taiwan occupies an important position in the Western Pacific. It is the very existence of de facto The independent state, which occupies a strategic position between Japan and South Korea in the north and the Philippines in the south, serves as an important check on China's control of vital sea lanes and its ability to expand its influence in the Pacific.

And finally, as free peoples who fought to win and later to defend our freedoms, we hold certain values ​​against a country that has pioneered individual rights, democracy, and a free market economy. We cannot ignore that we have a moral obligation to The shadow of communist giants. Taiwan's existence as a free nation stems from its own resistance to communist oppression more than 70 years ago.

After China's aggressive stance toward Taiwan in recent years, it is understandable to feel a sense of relief that Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared to be somewhat calmer at the San Francisco summit. However, this does not signal a reversal of China's recovery plans or ambitions in the Western Pacific or elsewhere, but is more likely a reflection of the economic realities facing China. China's economy is stagnant, is suffering from the lingering effects of the Chinese Communist Party's strict COVID-19 policies and general economic mismanagement. While we welcome the easing of tensions, we should not be fooled into thinking that China's strategic aspirations are any less assertive than they were a year ago. They are simply put on hold.

We should use this time to strengthen our commitment to peace, freedom, and prosperity in the Western Pacific and beyond. we need to do many things. First, we must deliver on our promise to supply Taiwan with the weapons it needs to deter Chinese aggression and defend itself if the situation arises. In the meantime, we need to invest appropriately in our military, which has been severely depleted over the past few years, to ensure that we are able to deal with any threats in the region ourselves.

Second, we need to take advantage of opportunities to expand our trade relationship with Taiwan. This means pushing forward with a second round of bilateral trade negotiations, known as the Taiwan-U.S. Initiative on 21st Century Trade, and expanding it into a full free trade agreement with Taiwan. We should also support Taiwan's participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). We also call on the Biden administration to reverse the lamentable delay in incorporating Taiwan into the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific economic framework. And as he works to strengthen that framework into something resembling a meaningful regional trade policy.

And finally, we need to more strongly support Taiwan's efforts to be included in the community of nations, an inclusion that has been consistently and shamefully blocked by China.

Taiwan does not occupy a very large area on the world map. But its importance goes far beyond its relative size. Western democracies face new threats from authoritarian regimes that wish to shift the world order away from political freedom, individual rights, free markets, and the rule of law. Taiwan is an important bulwark in upholding these values ​​and deserves our further engagement. Expanding trade and strengthening our military and political commitments to Taiwan is the right thing to do for Taiwanese, for our country, and for the world.

Doug Lamborn represents Colorado's 5th District and chairs the Military Strategic Forces Subcommittee. Bruce Westerman represents Arkansas' 4th District.