Taiwan, Tech and Transnational Repression

WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, the Select Committee focused on Taiwan, tech, and transnational repression. 

1) TAIWAN POLICY ROUNDTABLE – Building on the Select Committee's war game, members held a closed-door policy discussion to map out steps they can take to deter CCP aggression towards Taiwan. As Chairman Mike Gallagher said; “[The roundtable] was a very useful exercise and our members are engaged. We’re hoping to get consensus on a series of proposals that the Committee can endorse that would be tailor- made for insertion into this year’s National Defense Authorization Act.”

Chairman Gallagher's Top Takeaways from the Roundtable:

• Deliver the $19 billion of military equipment that the U.S. owes Taiwan.

• Accelerate production of critical munitions needed to deter CCP aggression to include anti-ship missiles, bombers and submarines and stockpile them West of international dateline. The U.S. must make it clear to Xi Jinping that attacking Taiwan would be a serious mistake.

• Build resiliency into our consumer and military supply chains in order to mitigate the economic consequences of a CCP invasion of Taiwan.

• Improve cyber defense of critical infrastructure in the U.S to include ports, healthcare financial services, telecommunications, and water.

• Build diplomatic efforts to prepare U.S. allies and partners for consequences of a CCP invasion. We must be united with our friends in combatting CCP aggression.

For more detail, read the testimony shared with members:

Mark Montgomery, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Stacie Pettyjohn, defense director at the Center for a New American Security,

Jimmy Goodrich, VP of global policy the Semiconductor Industry Association

Oriana Skylar Mastro, fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute.

To see more:

1. Lawmakers Wargame Conflict with Taiwan, Hoping to Deter One: AP
2. Taiwan Wargame Highlight video
3. Taiwan Wargame Policy Recommendations Explained
4. The Invasion of Taiwan has Already Begun in Cyberspace

2) TECH TALK – The Select Committee hosted Michael Brown, former director of the Defense Innovation Unit, and Alex Wang, CEO of Scale AI, for a discussion on the ongoing U.S.-CCP technology battle. Artificial intelligence dominated the conversation. While the U.S. still maintains a slight advantage on AI technology, sustained CCP investment in AI for its military and industrial use presents a serious threat. 

As the Chairman said, “In recent months, we have seen revolutionary advances in artificial intelligence in America, but we are still neck and neck with the Chinese Communist Party when it comes to this critical technology, which could determine geopolitical dominance in the 21st century. While serious questions remain about the right guardrails to put in place around AI in America, we know that the CCP will use this technology to further repress their own citizens and export their model of techno-totalitarian control around the world."

For more detail on what Brown and Wang shared with the members, read:

Mike Brown: Competing with China for the Century: Strategy to Win the Tech Race

Alex Wang: The AI War and How to Win It

3) LETTER TO THE FBI – Select Committee Republicans sent a letter to the FBI pressing for more information on its efforts to combat the Chinese Communist Party’s transnational repression. An earlier briefing by the FBI to the Select Committee failed to address key questions on the bureau’s strategy.

CCP "transnational repression" includes the CCP’s mafia-like tactics — surveillance, harassment, blackmail, assault, and the persecution of elderly parents, spouses, and children of Chinese Americans. Last month, police arrested two CCP agents, allegedly engaging in these activities.

As Chairman Gallagher and Rep. Dunn wrote in an Op-ed for the DC Journal, "We must decide: Will America remain a haven from persecution or become a hunting ground for dictators? We in Congress should expand criminal penalties for individuals who violate U.S. law while engaging in transnational repression."

To learn more:

- China's Secret Police Actively Hunting People on U.S. Soil

- Dozen's of Demonstrators Protest Chinese Police Station

- Chinese Dissident Works with Chairman Gallagher

- The United States should be a haven from persecution

- United Front Work is Xi Jinping's "Magic Weapon"