Washington DC [US], May 4 : US lawmakers across party lines introduced a resolution expressing concern over China's threats toward Taiwan, with a focus on maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait ahead of a planned summit later this month between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to a report by Taipei Times.
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee stated that the resolution, spearheaded by Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Coons along with Republican Senator Pete Ricketts, reflected bipartisan concern over the growing threats China poses to US national security and economic prosperity during a crucial period in US-China relations.
According to the committee, "The resolution calls for a continued and steady focus on strengthening deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region, protecting American workers and businesses from unfair economic practices, maintaining leadership in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, supporting allies and partners, preserving peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and advancing human rights and democratic values," as cited by the Taipei Times report.
The resolution stated that China has rapidly expanded and modernised its military capabilities, undermining freedom of navigation in key commercial waterways, including the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. It further said that China seeks to alter the "status quo" across the Taiwan Strait through coercion or force, including by delaying or preventing third-party involvement in contingency planning if a conflict were to arise.
The resolution also noted that China has been using its influence to block Taiwan's participation in international organisations. "Communist China is the greatest threat to the American way of life. We must deter Communist China. We must stand with our partners and allies that Beijing threatens," Ricketts said in the committee's statement, according to Taipei Times.
Taipei Times also reported that Trump is scheduled to travel to China on May 14 and 15 to meet with Xi, marking their first summit since the two leaders met in Busan, South Korea, in October last year.
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