Chairman Gallagher's Statement on His Recent Trip to Taiwan

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, today released the following statement after his return from a trip to Taiwan, where he met with President Tsai, Vice President Lai, Foreign Minister Wu, Minister of Defense Chiu, and Director-General of the National Security Bureau Tsai, among other Taiwanese officials. 

“I return from my trip to Taiwan even more convinced that the time to arm Taiwan to the teeth was yesterday. Taiwan is on the frontlines of authoritarian expansion. We must surge hard power west of the international date line in order to deter a Chinese Communist Party invasion before it's too late. In particular, we should move heaven and earth to clear the nearly $19 billion backlog of Foreign Military Sales Items that have been approved but not delivered to Taiwan. President Tsai also impressed on me the need to counter the CCP’s “cognitive warfare” strategies—their malign influence operations in Taiwan, around the world, and in cyberspace. In this cognitive and information battle our most powerful weapon is the truth. The Select Committee will work to expose the truth about the CCP’s pattern of aggression against America and our friends in order to forge bipartisan support for the actions necessary to deter CCP threats and defend our interests. I look forward to returning to Taiwan soon."

Chairman Gallagher traveled to Taiwan to learn more about the political and cultural identity of Taiwan, the growing security challenges in the Taiwan Strait, the Chinese Communist Party's economic coercion, and realities on the ground.

Click HERE to read Chairman Gallagher's reflections on his trip in the Wall Street Journal.

Click HERE for photos available for public broadcast and distribution.