House Republicans Demand Europe Falls in Line on Taiwan

A resolution was introduced in response to Macron saying Europe shouldn't follow the US into a conflict with China

A group of House Republicans introduced a resolution last week that would urge European leaders to affirm support for Taiwan and follow the US on its policies related to the island.

The resolution was led by Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) and has received 30 Republican cosponsors, including Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), chairman of the new House committee on China. The legislation is a direct response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s warning that Europe should not follow the US into a conflict with China over Taiwan.

Miller slammed Macron in a statement on the resolution. “It is astonishing to me that the French president would even suggest siding with a communist nation over a democratic one. Our resolution asks our European friends a simple question: Do you side with Taiwan and democratic values, or with an aggressive communist power that threatens the world order?” he said.

In his statement on the bill, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), a cosponsor, said NATO countries must be involved in the Asia Pacific. “It is incumbent on all NATO members to strengthen their involvement with democratic partners in the Indo-Pacific to ensure safety and security in the region,” he said.

According to the text of the bill, the resolution would call for “trans-Atlantic” unity on Taiwan and encourage “North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies to strengthen their engagement with partners in the Indo-Pacific.” It would also call on European leaders to “express support for maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and condemn any use or threat of use of force.”

The resolution comes as the US has taken unprecedented steps to increase military and diplomatic support for Taiwan, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s recent talks with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California. The meeting made McCarthy the highest-level US official to ever host a Taiwanese leader since Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979, and it provoked major Chinese military exercises around Taiwan.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.