U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah), along with U.S Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), introduced legislation called the Deterring Economic Aggression Through Retaliation (DETER) Act to curb Chinese aggression towards Taiwan.
The DETER Act would revoke China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) ability with the U.S. if they attempt any military or economic coercion actions towards Taiwan. Portions of the proposed legislation also require U.S. officials to determine the impacts of this step and propose ways to reduce reliance on trade with China.
PNTR status allows other nations a “favored” status in U.S. trade laws, giving them preference in market access and reduces tariff barriers.
"There are times for unpredictability in matters of foreign policy and there are times for telling our adversaries what the consequences of their actions would look like,” Moore said. “Xi Jinping has openly stated that he aims to conquer and 'reunify' Taiwan and has built up China's military posture for this very purpose. A crisis in the Taiwan Strait, in which China breaks the first island chain in the Indo-Pacific and chokes off international trade and critical materials, would be catastrophic for American families, jobs, and livelihoods.”
The legislation was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.
