House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) is warning of the possibility of U.S. troops having to be sent to Taiwan if China invades the country.
“If communist China invaded Taiwan, it would certainly be on the table and something that would be discussed by Congress and the American people,” McCaul told Fox News. “Are they prepared to do this? Is Taiwan worth it? I can argue for a lot of reasons why it is.”
The move would represent a much different situation from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where the U.S. sent billions of dollars but refused to send U.S. troops.
Recently, the People’s Liberation Army Navy sent eight warships and 42 planes into the Strait of Taiwan as an intimidation tactic, which China claims as its territory. China also said it would start enforcing a stop-and-seize regime. However, Taiwan vowed not to comply.
“These are intimidation tactics and saber-rattling, in my judgment, only firm up our resolve against the Chinese Communist Party. It has no deterrent effect on us,” McCaul said, adding, “In fact, I think it galvanizes the United States’ support for Taiwan.”
McCaul said that talks had been made about several military scenarios that could potentially happen and how they would respond to them.
“Overall, know deterrence is key,” McCaul said. “We don’t want war. We want peace and deterrence and peace through strength that accomplishes that.”
During a three-day trip to Taipei at the head of a congressional delegation, McCaul explained that deploying troops would be a declaration of war, which he says hasn’t been utilized since World War II.
However, McCaul said that China would more likely somewhat interfere with Taiwan’s next presidential election than go to war, saying, “It’ll be a lot easier for them to influence an election without a shot fired than it would be to go to war.”
U.S. military leaders argue that Beijing could invade Taiwan by 2027, though some say China could take action at any moment.
🇺🇸 🇹🇼 🇨🇳Sending US troops to Taiwan is "on the table," says Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs of the US Michael McCaul pic.twitter.com/b5EDQ7d3Rr
— AZ 🛰🌏🌍🌎 (@AZgeopolitics) April 8, 2023