A group of bipartisan Senate and House lawmakers have come together to put forth a bipartisan proposal on Thursday that they claim will strengthen cybersecurity between the two nations in an effort to stop cyberattacks from Beijing.
The proposed legislation, titled the Taiwan Cybersecurity Resiliency Act, calls for the U.S. Department of Defense to expand and bolster cybersecurity cooperation with Taiwan by launching cyber practice exercises, safeguarding the nation’s military networks, infrastructure, and systems, and utilizing U.S. cybersecurity intelligence to help protect Taiwan, according to The Hill.
“Strengthening Taiwan’s military cyber capabilities is one of multiple measures needed to build Taiwan into a well-armed porcupine,” commented Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), who is co-sponsoring the bill along with three other lawmakers.
The South Dakota representative argued that “increasing aggressiveness by the People’s Republic of China toward[s] Taiwan,” makes the legislation necessary, as it will help in deterring and even stopping attacks launched against Taiwan by the Chinese Communist Party.
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) echoed a similar sentiment, proclaiming that “We must push back on the Chinese Communist Party’s growing aggression, and its attempts to undermine democracy around the world – including through hostile cyber actions,” adding that we frequently see Taiwan being “used as a testing ground for China’s cyberattacks later used against the United States.”
“As a former computer programmer, I know that by collaborating with key democratic partners like Taiwan, we can more effectively counter cyber threats from China at home and help defend our partners around the world,” she noted.
A 2019 statement from U.S. lawmakers alleges that Taiwan dealt with around 20 to 40 million cyberattacks from China a month, with many of the same strategies later being employed against the U.S.
This news comes as tensions with the U.S., China, and Taiwan continue to enflame. It was just earlier this month when the Chinese Communist Party deployed fighter jets, naval ships, and an aircraft carrier around Taiwan during military exercises that were conducted in order to strike fear for the potential of increased conflict, according to The New York Times.
China sent fighter jets, naval ships and an aircraft carrier near Taiwan in military exercises choreographed to raise pressure on the island while stopping short of an escalation that could set off a conflict. https://t.co/HxTfbemEXa pic.twitter.com/red6SVHYEj
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 10, 2023
The Chinese deployment occurred the same month that Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met up with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, prompting Beijing to issue sanctions against the library for giving Tsai a public platform.
