Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said he has called for the U.S. to strengthen its support of Taiwan and has introduced multiple bills on the subject.
"Senator Scott has been urging the Biden administration to stop its appeasement of communist regimes like Xi in China and make extremely clear that the U.S. will do everything it can to support and protect Taiwan from Communist China’s growing aggression, especially with Xi’s growing and dangerous ‘reunification’ attempts,” according to a statement from his office to State Newswire.
“That is exactly why Senator Scott has introduced the Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act and the Taiwan Partnership Act," the statement reads, "as well as called for the U.S. to decouple from Communist China. In addition to his legislation, the Senator believes the U.S. needs strong action to unapologetically support Taiwan which includes employing a truly effective strategy of ‘integrated deterrence’ to deliver strength in both arms and trade.”
Scott reintroduced the Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act in February 2021, calling on the U.S. to support "our peaceful and democratic ally Taiwan," according to a release. The bill would call on China to renounce the threat of using its military to forcibly "reunite" with Taiwan and provide Taiwan with assistance in countering the Chinese military's buildup.
In July 2021, he introduced the bipartisan Taiwan Partnership Act, saying in a press release that the bill “carries an important message to General Secretary Xi that we will not tolerate his threats against Taiwan’s autonomy.” The Taiwan Partnership Act would establish a partnership between the U.S. National Guard and Taiwan’s military and increase communication between military leaders of the two countries.
In March, Scott urged American business leaders to relocate their operations and supply chains out of China, according to a press release. Scott cited Taiwanese defense minister Chiu Kuo-cheng's belief that China will launch a full-scale attack on Taiwan. He said "there is already good reason to separate from this evil regime,” pointing to the genocide committed against the Uyghur Muslim population.
Scott wrote in an August opinion piece for the National Review that he had recently traveled to Taiwan, and the conversations he had on his trip emphasized “how important it is for our own national interest that we do everything possible now to support our partners and allies — diplomatically, militarily, and commercially.” He called on U.S. officials to work toward the passage of his Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act.
A Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report argues that if China were to use direct lethal force to defeat Taiwan's army and remove the existing civilian leadership.
The report states that one consequence of “reunification” is that China would be met with economic repercussions from the global community restricting its ability to import and export goods. It would likely have a detrimental effect on Chinese currency values, on China's domestic markets, and on business sentiment toward China. “Meaningful” intervention by the U.S. military would drastically increase the costs incurred by China.
Scott served two terms as Republican Governor of Florida before being elected to the U.S. Senate, according to his website.
