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Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) issued the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s issuance of the National Security Strategy, which does not support an independent Taiwan and fails to take sufficient steps to counter Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aggression towards free and democratic countries. The strategy “oppose[s] any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side,” “do[es] not support Taiwan independence,” and remains “committed to our one China policy.”
“The CCP’s continued and open aggression should be a clear signal that they have no intention of respecting Taiwan’s sovereignty,” said Rep. Steel. “The Biden Administration cannot continue to stick its head in the sand and allow the CCP to dictate the terms Taiwan’s existence. This communist regime has routinely showcased its disregard for international norms, and now is the time to stand with Taiwan and show the CCP that the United States will not allow intimidation or threats against our allies.”
As a member of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CEEC), Rep. Steel has been an outspoken supporter of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship and an advocate for holding the CCP accountable for its role as a global bad actor and human rights abuser. She recently introduced the Taiwan Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act, with Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), to authorize the Administration to lend or lease defense supplies to the Government of Taiwan and proactively counter a CCP invasion. She also led a group of lawmakers in calling on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to urgently bring the bill to the floor for a vote in the days after the Speaker’s trip to Taiwan. Additionally, Rep. Steel sponsored a proposal to force the CCP to be subject to the same standards as the rest of the world for their unfair trade practices, human rights violations, and environmental abuse.
