In a strong bipartisan move aimed at deterring a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan, the US House of Representatives on Monday passed the Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act, a legislation that seeks to expose the financial assets and corruption of top Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials if Beijing wages war on the self-ruled island.The bill, introduced in February by Republican Lisa McClain and Democrat Brad Sherman, specifically targets members of the CCP’s Politburo Standing Committee and other senior Chinese officials involved in Taiwan-related matters. If enacted, it would direct the US treasury department to publicly disclose the financial holdings and offshore assets of these officials and their immediate family members.According to the news agency CNA, the bill mandates the treasury secretary to publish a report identifying financial institutions and accounts tied to senior Chinese officials, and to restrict major transactions involving their family members. A public summary of this report is required to be made available on Treasury platforms in both English and Chinese.“This bill communicates a clear and bipartisan warning: should the CCP wage war against Taiwan, there will be repercussions,” McClain said during the bill’s voice vote, as quoted by news agency ANI. “We are discussing real, targeted actions against corrupt CCP elites, with their financial activities and offshore accounts being revealed and made accessible for the Chinese public”, McClain added.McClain also underscored Taiwan’s importance in global supply chains, particularly semiconductors and its role as a democratic ally. “The United States cannot afford to be complacent in the face of increasing Chinese aggression,” she said, noting that regional peace in the Indo-Pacific directly affects American economic and strategic interests.The bill now moves to the Senate for approval before it can be signed into law by the President. A similar version of the Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act had passed the House unanimously in the previous legislative session.The development comes amid growing Chinese military activity around Taiwan. On Tuesday, Taiwan’s ministry of national defence (MND) reported that eight Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships and two official vessels were spotted operating near the island. While no PLA aircraft were detected that day, a day earlier, one Chinese aircraft had crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered Taiwan’s northern air defence identification zone (ADIZ), the MND said in a post on X.Meanwhile, Taiwan’s vice president Hsiao Bi-khim reaffirmed Taipei’s determination to protect national security. “Taiwan does not live in a vacuum,” she said at a recent briefing with foreign diplomats and journalists, as quoted by Taipei Times. “We operate at the centre of one of the world’s most dynamic and contested geopolitical environments.”She described Beijing’s recent actions, including military provocations, grey-zone tactics and economic coercion, as increasingly aggressive since President William Lai took office in May 2024. “To deter these risks, we are reforming and integrating our national defence strategy, rooted not only in military modernisation, but also in the resilience of our entire society,” Hsiao said.As geopolitical tensions mount in the Indo-Pacific, the recently concluded Talisman Sabre 2025, a major multinational military exercise in Australia, also signalled growing allied resolve to counter China’s assertiveness in the region. The drills included amphibious landings, airborne drops and the live firing of the US Army’s Typhon missile system, with the notional adversary modelled closely on China.Though the US Army insists the exercise is not aimed at any specific country, senior American commanders acknowledged the deterrence message embedded in the drills. “To be able to directly deliver an infantry battalion with its command that is situationally aware and physically optimised onto a drop zone 7,000 miles away… should scare adversaries,” said Colonel Brian Weightman of the 11th Airborne Division, as quoted by ANI.
