Sens. Curtis, Rosen File Bill to Protect Taiwan's Undersea Cables From Chinese Sabotage
Senate Commerce Committee members John Curtis, R-Utah, and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., filed the Taiwan Undersea Cable Resilience Initiative Act on Wednesday to protect that country’s communications infrastructure against Chinese sabotage. The bill would mandate that DOD, the departments of State and Homeland Security, and the U.S. Coast Guard jointly deploy real-time monitoring systems and other measures to defend Taiwan’s undersea cables. It would also direct State to “encourage and support the hardening” of undersea cables near Taiwan and direct the U.S. to work with “like-minded international partners” to counter Chinese government sabotage of that infrastructure, including by imposing sanctions.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
“We can’t stand idle as China ramps up its tactics to isolate Taiwan, including by sabotaging its vital undersea cables,” Curtis said in a statement. “By improving systems monitoring and helping increase cable resiliency, our bipartisan legislation sends a clear message: the [U.S.] stands with Taiwan and our allies in defending shared infrastructure, sovereignty, and freedom.” Rosen said the “Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing efforts to target Taiwan’s undersea cable infrastructure don’t just threaten Taiwan’s national security, but connectivity and communication around the world.”