Washington — A bipartisan group of three U.S. House members has introduced legislation aimed at bolstering the resilience of Taiwan’s undersea cables and other critical infrastructure amid rising tensions with China, the Central News Agency reported.
The bill would expand undersea surveillance by deploying advanced sensors to detect sabotage and deliver near real-time intelligence to help Taiwan defend its cable networks. It also directs the United States to coordinate with allies to strengthen regional recovery capabilities and minimize service disruptions after attacks on subsea infrastructure.
Republican Rep. Mike Lawler argued the U.S. should lead efforts to secure regional undersea systems as threats from the People’s Republic of China increase. The proposal would permit sanctions against individuals or entities found responsible for or complicit in damaging undersea infrastructure that affects the U.S., Taiwan, or allied partners.
Democratic Rep. Dave Min said Taiwan’s communications networks are essential to its security, global commerce, and regional stability, and described repeated interference by China as a deliberate effort to isolate Taiwan and test coercive ‘‘gray zone’’ tactics. Lawmakers said the legislation signals that the U.S. will not ignore such actions.
A Senate companion bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. John Curtis and Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen, won approval from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in January, according to CNA. This report is based on a syndicated feed and was published as received.
