Originally published in The Hill
Written by Ines Kagubare and Rebecca Klar

The bipartisan lawmakers introduced legislation that would require the U.S. to help Taiwan combat Chinese cyber threats amid tensions in the Indo-Pacific.

The bill would authorize the Department of Defense to boost its collaboration with Taiwan by conducting cyber training exercises, defending the country’s military networks, infrastructure and systems, and leveraging U.S. cybersecurity technologies.

The legislation, called the Taiwan Cybersecurity Resiliency Act, was co-sponsored by two Democrats, Sen. Jacky Rosen (Nev.) and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.), and two Republicans, Sen. Mike Rounds (S.D.) and Rep. Mike Gallagher (Wis.).

“Strengthening Taiwan’s military cyber capabilities is one of multiple measures needed to build Taiwan into a well-armed porcupine,” Rounds said. 

The lawmakers said in a statement that in 2019, Taiwan faced about 20 to 40 million cyberattacks every month originating from China, “some of which were later used against the United States.”

The legislation comes as tensions between the U.S. and China over Taiwan continue to grow. Earlier this month, China ordered naval and air drills over Taiwan following Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen’s trip to California, where she met with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other lawmakers.

The trip also prompted China to issue sanctions against the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank, for hosting and giving her a public platform.

“We must push back on the Chinese Communist Party’s growing aggression, and its attempts to undermine democracy around the world — including through hostile cyber actions,” Rosen said.