In response to ongoing aggression from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), U.S. Reps. Zach Nunn (R-IA), John Moolenaar (R-MI), and Ashley Hinson (R-IA) on Aug. 1 proposed a bipartisan bill that would hasten defense technology collaboration between the United States and Taiwan.
“The Chinese Communist Party has made clear its intent to take Taiwan by 2027,” said Rep. Nunn. “The defense partnership laid out in this bill will be a critical deterrence tool, accelerating Taiwan’s access to next-generation U.S. technology and giving them the asymmetric edge they need to defend their sovereignty.”
Rep. Nunn sponsored the United States-Taiwan Defense Innovation Partnership Act, H.R. 4860, alongside four original cosponsors, including Rep. Moolenaar, Rep. Hinson, and U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-HI) to direct the U.S. Secretary of Defense to establish a strategic partnership with the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense to coordinate defense industrial priorities, expand defense technology cooperation, and deter regional adversaries, according to the bill’s text.
Such cooperation, the lawmakers said, will fast-track the development and fielding of dual-use technologies — such as drones, artificial intelligence, microchips, and advanced surveillance systems — that enhance collective deterrence and reinforce America’s strategic edge in the region.
“With each passing day, Xi Jinping expands coercion aimed at Taiwan,” said Rep. Moolenaar, chairman of the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. “This legislation would strengthen critical defense industrial collaboration with Taiwan while enhancing our shared readiness against an increasingly threatening Beijing.”
H.R. 4860 also would prioritize joint development of next-generation defense technologies, strengthen coordination on supply chain resiliency, and bolster both nations’ defense industrial bases, while accelerating the deployment of critical capabilities to deter the CCP, according to the lawmakers.
“I am proud to support Rep. Nunn’s legislation that will expand collaboration on emerging technologies, meaningfully counter China, and rejuvenate American innovation to modernize our defense industrial base so we can, together, deter our greatest adversary and remain the world’s most powerful military,” Rep. Hinson said.
“The complex security challenges that the United States and our allies and partners face in the Indo-Pacific call for new and innovative technologies, approaches, and vendors,” added Rep. Tokuda. “This effort will benefit both Taiwan and the United States as we work together to solidify a free and open Indo-Pacific.”