U.S. Senators John Curtis and Jeanne Shaheen led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to Taiwan on Mar. 31, urging Taiwanese leaders to adopt a special defense budget amid rising tensions with China.
The visit highlights the U.S. Congress’s ongoing support for Taiwan as it faces increasing threats from China, particularly regarding military aggression and economic stability.
Curtis said, “China is actively preparing a move of aggression to force unification with Taiwan, a sovereign democracy. Because of Taiwan’s location and pivotal role in the global economy through its innovative high-end semiconductors, an attempted attack on Taiwan could trigger a $10 trillion global economic shock, immediately contracting the U.S. GDP by roughly 10 percent. That catastrophe would hit American factories, businesses, and households harder than the Great Depression, and a successful invasion of Taiwan would fundamentally change our world and put global freedom and democracy at risk for current and future generations.” He added that “the U.S. fully supports President Lai’s Special Defense Budget request and encourages its adoption by the Legislative Yuen. The $40 billion proposal is a direct assessment of the capability gaps that Taiwan needs to deter and, if necessary, defeat China. Taiwan must urgently adapt its defense strategy by focusing on asymmetric warfare and technological innovation.”
During their two-day visit in Taipei, Curtis, Shaheen, Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), met with President Lai Ching-te as well as other senior officials including Vice President Hsiao and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung. The group also toured local defense facilities such as the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology.
Since coming to power in 1948, China’s government has maintained its goal of unifying with Taiwan—a policy reaffirmed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2022 when he said his country would not rule out using force against what it calls separatists in Taiwan. According to an official statement issued on Mar. 31 by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning—which formally denounced the senators’ visit—the United States should “stop sending any wrong signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”
Taiwanese President Lai has proposed spending about $40 billion over eight years—roughly five percent of GDP—on strengthening asymmetric defenses against potential attacks from China; this proposal is currently under consideration alongside counterproposals from opposition parties.
According to the official website, Curtis served two terms as mayor of Provo before joining the Senate where he represents Utah according to his official website. He founded the Conservative Climate Caucus according to his official website while advocating for conservative environmental solutions focused on supporting small businesses according to his official website. Curtis has also passed legislation addressing public land management issues as well as human trafficking according to his official website.
The senators’ trip included stops in Tokyo and Seoul for meetings with Indo-Pacific allies.
