Many House Republicans urge Biden administration to support 'a free Taiwan' as China tensions mount

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Chinese military drills simulate Taiwan invasion

Senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot reports the latest from London. 

EXCLUSIVE — In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, 21 House Republicans are calling on the State Department to invite the President of Taiwan to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. 

The letter, authored by Rep. Lance Gooden R-Texas, and co-signed by 20 other House GOP members, says that "Taiwan deserves fair and equal treatment" and is a "critical partner" of the U.S.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy R-Calif met in California less than two weeks ago to affirm the "strong" bond between with U.S. and Taiwan amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. 

The GOP lawmakers are taking a step further — urging Blinken to commit to "supporting a free Taiwan" and "strengthen the partnership between our two countries." 

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., shakes hands with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen after delivering statements to the press at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, Wednesday, April 5, 2023.  (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

The letter's phrasing of "two countries" is contrary to official U.S. policy. The State Department asserts that while "the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan," the two partners have a "robust relationship."

"It is critical that U.S. leaders continue to affirm our bottom line of supporting a free Taiwan and rejecting China’s provocation and threatening countermeasures to fulfill its 'One-China Policy.'"

— House GOP letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken

However, the lawmakers say that excluding Taiwan from APEC "is tantamount to the U.S. asking China for a permission slip to conduct bilateral foreign relations."

The Chinese military responded to Tsai's visit to the U.S. in April by asserting the country is "ready to fight" and by holding three days of large-scale air and sea exercises in the Taiwan Strait last week. 

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu is sounding the alarm over the military drills, and told Fox News that "any accident might spark an uncontrollable war in between Taiwan and China. And if other countries are trying to intervene, it might be the start of a war of great scale."

A Chinese warship sails during a military drill near the Taiwan-controlled Matsu Islands that are close to the Chinese coast, on April 8. (Reuters/Thomas Peter)

While President Biden has stated on four separate occasions that the U.S. would defend Taiwan, the White House has noted that this is not official U.S. policy. 

Bipartisan pressure has been mounting on the Biden administration to take a stronger posture against China and offer more support to Taiwan's military. 

"I would hope the administration would wake up and start getting these weapons [to Taiwan]," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul R-Texas told Fox News. 

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen waves as she arrives at a hotel in New York City on Thursday, March 30. (John Minchillo)

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Democratic House members are also warning of the economic repercussions following China's military exercises in the Taiwan Strait. 

"My stomach’s been upside down since we started to hear of potential blockades of the Straits of Taiwan because of our dependency on Taiwan for so many things," Debbie Dingell D-Mich. recently told Fox News. 

In 2022, Taiwan participated at APEC as "Chinese Taipei," sending the 91-year-old billionaire founder of a computer chip company, Morris Chang, to the summit instead of a political leader. 

The annual APEC summit will convene on Nov. 12, 2023 in San Francisco, California. The People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation are both APEC members.