According to an interview with Politico published Tuesday, Republican congressman from Texas Michael McCaul, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated earlier in April that the United States “should look at” starting a war if China strikes Taiwan.
The remarks were made by McCaul while he was accompanying a congressional group to Taiwan in early April. McCaul assumed leadership of the House’s primary foreign policy committee when Republicans won control in 2023. Additionally, he stated that the US is not now set up for a military battle with China.
In the event that China attacks Taiwan, I do worry about how Congress will react. In my committee, we either vote to authorize the use of force or, as we haven’t done since World War II, vote to declare war,” McCaul told Politico. “I would contend that it won’t be a small war; rather, it will be comparable to battles fought during my father’s time. In order for the Defense Production Act to take effect, I believe a declaration of war should be considered. If this happens, we won’t experience any issues with our defense industrial base.
According to McCaul, the majority of the faction opposed to aid for Ukraine still has strong anti-Communist-China feeling. McCaul also addressed whether he thinks there will be splinters in GOP support for aid to Taiwan like there have been for Ukraine. He acknowledged that ordinary Americans might be more dubious: But I can hear a lot of people asking, “Why are we going to war for an island off the coast of China? Why is it important so much? If it meant declaring war, I’m not sure how the American populace would react.
Regarding China’s future actions in and near the Taiwan Strait, McCaul warned that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would likely meddle in Taiwan’s upcoming elections, which are scheduled to take place in January 2024. The CCP will start a disinformation effort to try and sway the vote in favor of their selected candidate, McCaul predicted, and if that fails, either an invasion or a blockade would come next.
After McCaul’s visit to the island in early April, when Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen stopped in California to meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on her way back from Latin America, Beijing retaliated with abrasive military drills surrounding Taiwan. The Biden administration has referred to China’s response as a “overreaction,” while frequently emphasizing that it is not attempting to alter the current situation with regard to China and Taiwan.
