Sen. Sullivan to Americans: ‘Taiwan matters’

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said the U.S. is not doing all it can to deter China from invading Taiwan.

The senator also highlighted why the future of the small Indo-Pacific country should matter to Americans during an event Thursday morning at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan think tank in Washington.

Sullivan said the future of democracy around the world would be at stake if China successfully invaded Taiwan. Sullivan, who serves on the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, said Chinese President Xi Jinping is preparing his army for an eventual military confrontation with Taiwan.

Sullivan said the U.S. could discourage China by helping to train and supply Taiwan’s army, consider military intervention if China strikes, and sanction China should an attack occur.

“I have been pitching foreign governments, our allies around the world on similar needs from their perspective to, again, have a trigger that says, “Here it is. If you militarily invade, this is what you should be expecting,” said Sullivan.

Sullivan has introduced legislation that mirrors this strategy called the S.T.A.N.D. with Taiwan Act. He also wants the Taiwanese government and people to know that there would be a different strategy for an invasion on their island versus the one the U.S. has in Ukraine.

Sullivan said if China was successful in taking over Taiwan, it would lead to economic disaster, strategic military losses, and call into question the future of other relationships with our Asian allies.

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