,,ii #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #ddcc ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #bc1 #bjbd,mr4 ,ricketts 7for himself and ,mrs4 ,shaheen7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to enhance ,united ,states cooperation with ,european countries to improve the security of ,taiwan1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short titles ,this ,act may be cited as the ,building ,options for the ,lasting ,security of ,taiwan through ,european ,resolve ,act or the ,,bolster ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,in an ,october #bjbb speech before the #bjth ,national ,congress of the ,chinese ,communist ,party1 ,general ,secretary ,xi ,jinping declared that the ,people's ,republic of ,china 7referred to in this ,act as the ,,prc7 has not ruled out the use of force regarding ,taiwan4 7#b7 ,the ,office of the ,director of ,national ,intelligence's ,annual ,threat ,assessment of the ,u4,s4 ,intelligence ,community1 published on ,february #f1 #bjbc1 noted that ,beijing is working to meet its goal of fielding a military by #bjbg designed to deter ,u4,s4 intervention in a future cross-,strait crisis44 7#c7 ,the risk of economic disruption following a conflict in the ,taiwan ,strait could amount to approximately #b1jjj1jjj1jjj1jjj in a blockade scenario1 which would immediately1 and potentially irreversibly impact global trade and investment1 key supply chains for semiconductors1 and other trade and national security priorities4 7#d7 ,the ,european ,union's foreign and security policy service1 the ,european ,external ,action ,service1 recognizes that the ,european ,union may use sanctions to promote the objectives of its ,common ,foreign and ,security ,policy1 all of which have potential relevance in the event of military action or coercion against ,taiwan4 7#e7 ,the ,european ,union has imposed sanctions on-- 7,a7 ,,prc officials and entities responsible for human rights abuses in ,xinjiang2 and 7,b7 ,,prc entities for their support of ,russia's illegal and unprovoked war in ,ukraine4 7#f7 ,in ,july #bjbb1 ,jorge ,toledo ,albinana1 ,ambassador of the ,european ,union to the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 said1 ,in the event of a military invasion of ,taiwan1 we have made it very clear that the ,european ,union1 with the ,united ,states and its allies1 will impose similar or even greater measures than those we have now taken against ,russia44 7#g7 ,on ,january #ah1 #bjbc1 the ,european ,parliament passed a resolution calling upon all competent ,european ,union institutions to urgently draw up a scenario-based strategy for tackling security challenges in ,taiwan44 7#h7 ,in an ,april #ah1 #bjbc1 speech to the ,european ,parliament1 ,european ,commission ,president ,ursula von der ,leyen emphasized that the ,european ,union stands strongly against any unilateral change of the status quo in the ,taiwan ,strait1 in particular by the use of force44 7#i7 ,the ,,prc has supported ,russia's illegal1 full-scale invasion of ,ukraine by resupplying ,russia's defense industrial base4 7#aj7 ,taiwan has-- 7,a7 aligned itself with ,european ,union sanctions against ,russia in response to the full-scale invasion of ,ukraine2 and 7,b7 provided ,ukraine more than #aac1jjj1jjj in financial support and more than #iej metric tons of humanitarian supplies4 #c4 ,consultations1 plans1 reports1 and briefings 7a7 ,consultations with ,european governments regarding sanctions against the ,,prc under certain circumstances 7#a7 ,in general ,the head of the ,office of ,sanctions ,coordination at the ,department of ,state1 in consultation with the ,director of the ,office of ,foreign ,assets ,control at the ,department of the ,treasury1 shall engage in regular consultations with the ,international ,special ,envoy for the ,implementation of ,european ,union ,sanctions and appropriate government officials of ,european countries1 including the ,united ,kingdom1 to develop coordinated plans and share information on independent plans to impose sanctions and other economic measures against the ,,prc1 as appropriate1 if the ,,prc is found to be involved in-- 7,a7 overthrowing or dismantling the governing institutions in ,taiwan1 including engaging in disinformation campaigns in ,taiwan that promote the strategic interests of the ,,prc2 7,b7 occupying any territory controlled or administered by ,taiwan as of the date of the enactment of this ,act2 7,c7 violating the territorial integrity of ,taiwan2 7,d7 taking significant action against ,taiwan1 including-- 7i7 creating a naval blockade or other quarantine of ,taiwan2 7ii7 seizing the outer lying islands of ,taiwan2 or 7iii7 initiating a cyberattack that threatens civilian or military infrastructure in ,taiwan2 or 7,e7 providing assistance that helps the security forces of the ,russian ,federation in executing ,russia's unprovoked1 illegal war against ,ukraine4 7#b7 ,semiannual congressional briefings ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and semiannually thereafter for the following #e years1 the head of the ,office of ,sanctions ,coordination shall provide a briefing regarding the progress of the consultations required under paragraph 7#a7 to-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2 7,b7 the ,committee on ,banking1 ,housing1 and ,urban ,affairs of the ,senate2 7,c7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7,d7 the ,committee on ,financial ,services of the ,house of ,representatives4 7b7 ,coordination of humanitarian support in a ,taiwan contingency 7#a7 ,plan ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7referred to in this section as the ,administrator71 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,state1 shall develop a plan to deliver humanitarian aid to ,taiwan in the event of a blockade1 quarantine1 or military invasion of ,taiwan by the ,people's ,liberation ,army 7referred to in this ,act as the ,,pla74 7#b7 ,consultation requirement ,in developing the plan required under paragraph 7#a71 the ,administrator shall consult with the ,european ,commission's ,emergency ,response ,coordination ,centre and appropriate government officials of ,european countries regarding cooperation to provide aid to ,indo-,pacific countries as the result of a blockade1 quarantine1 or military invasion of ,taiwan by the ,,pla1 including the extent to which ,european countries could backfill ,united ,states humanitarian aid to other parts of the world4 7#c7 ,congressional engagement ,upon completion of the plan required under paragraph 7#a71 the ,administrator shall provide a briefing regarding the details of such plan and the consultations required under paragraph 7#b7 to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives4 7c7 ,report on the economic impacts of ,,prc military action against ,taiwan 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,president shall submit a report to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives that contains an independent assessment of the expected economic impact of-- 7,a7 a #cj-;day blockade or quarantine of ,taiwan by the ,,pla2 and 7,b7 a #ahj-;day blockade or quarantine of ,taiwan by the ,,pla4 7#b7 ,assessment elements ,the assessment required under paragraph 7#a7 shall contain a description of-- 7,a7 the impact of the blockade or quarantine of ,taiwan on global trade and output2 7,b7 the #aj economic sectors that would be most disrupted by a sustained blockade of ,taiwan by the ,,pla2 and 7,c7 the expected economic impact of a sustained blockade of ,taiwan by the ,,pla on the domestic economies of ,european countries that are members of ,,nato or the ,european ,union4 7#c7 ,independent assessment 7,a7 ,in general ,the assessment required under paragraph 7#a7 shall be conducted by a federally-funded research and development center or another appropriate independent entity with expertise in economic analysis4 7,b7 ,use of data from previous studies ,the entity conducting the assessment required under paragraph 7#a7 may use and incorporate information contained in previous studies on matters relevant to the elements of the assessment4 #d4 ,consultations with the ,european ,union and ,european governments regarding increasing political and economic relations with ,taiwan 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,representative offices in ,taiwan have been established by-- 7,a7 #af of the #bg ,european ,union member states2 7,b7 the ,european ,union2 7,c7 the ,united ,kingdom2 and 7,d7 ,switzerland4 7#b7 ,taiwan has representative offices in-- 7,a7 #ai of the #bg ,european ,union countries2 7,b7 the ,united ,kingdom2 and 7,c7 ,switzerland4 7#c7 ,the ,,prc has used its economic power to pressure ,taiwan's diplomatic allies to cut ties and switch diplomatic recognition to the ,,prc1 which has reduced ,taiwan's diplomatic allies to just #ab1 including ,the ,holy ,see4 7#d7 ,on ,november #ah1 #bjba1 ,taiwan formally opened the ,taiwanese ,representative ,office in ,lithuania1 which is the first such office in ,europe that uses ,taiwan in its title rather than the ,,prc-preferred title1 ,taipei1 despite actions of economic coercion imposed on ,lithuania by the ,,prc4 7#e7 ,since #bjbj1 legislative bodies in ,poland1 ,lithuania1 ,france1 ,germany1 the ,netherlands1 the ,czech ,republic1 ,italy1 ,switzerland1 ,ireland1 ,belgium1 ,luxembourg1 ,sweden1 ,denmark1 and ,slovakia have passed legislation or resolutions that call for-- 7,a7 deepening ties and exchanges with ,taiwan2 7,b7 supporting ,taiwan's participation in international organizations2 or 7,c7 maintaining the status quo in the ,taiwan ,strait4 7#f7 ,since #bjbj1 parliamentary delegations from ,slovakia1 the ,czech ,republic1 ,poland1 ,lithuania1 ,germany1 ,spain1 ,france1 ,finland1 ,romania1 ,portugal1 ,belgium1 ,sweden1 ,ireland1 ,italy1 ,estonia1 ,latvia1 and the ,european ,union have visited ,taiwan4 7#g7 ,in ,may #bjbc1 representatives from the ,united ,kingdom1 ,france1 ,germany1 and the ,czech ,republic joined the ,united ,states1 ,australia1 and ,japan in a joint statement calling for ,taiwan's inclusion in the #gfth ,world ,health ,assembly4 7#h7 ,the ,november #bjbc ,group of #g ,japan #bjbc ,foreign ,ministers' ,statement expressed support for ,taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations1 including in the ,world ,health ,assembly and ,,who technical meetings44 7#i7 ,as of #bjbb1 ,taiwan was the ,european ,union's #acth largest trading partner overall and its #eth largest ,asian trading partner4 7#aj7 ,taiwan is a leading investor in the ,czech ,republic1 which currently hosts more than #a1jjj1jjj1jjj in foreign direct investment from ,taiwan1 resulting in thousands of jobs for ,czech citizens4 7#aa7 ,from #bjba to #bjbb1 trade between ,lithuania and ,taiwan increased by #ej percent4 ,taiwan has invested in ,lithuania's emerging chip sector1 laser companies1 and other high-tech industries4 7#ab7 ,in ,june #bjbb1 the ,european ,commission1 for the first time1 upgraded its trade and investment dialogues with ,taiwan1 which had been ongoing at the technical level for more than #bj years1 to the ministerial and director-general level for the first time in recognition of the benefit from higher-level coordination4 7#ac7 ,in ,august #bjbc1 ,taiwan ,semiconductor ,manufacturing ,company ,limited announced partnerships with various ,european technology firms and investments of #c1ejj1jjj1jjj to build its first semiconductor plant in ,europe in ,germany4 7#ad7 ,on ,november #h1 #bjbc1 the ,government of the ,united ,kingdom signed an ,enhanced ,trade ,partnership agreement with ,taiwan4 ,this is the first such agreement between ,taiwan and a ,european country4 7#ae7 ,on ,december #ac1 #bjbc the ,european ,parliament passed a resolution that-- 7,a7 urges the ,european ,union to pursue a resilient supply chain agreement with ,taiwan2 and 7,b7 calls for a bilateral investment agreement between ,taiwan and the ,european ,union to enhance a #b-way partnership in digital trade and cyber resilience4 7b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 the ,united ,states1 ,europe1 and ,taiwan are like-minded partners that-- 7,a7 share common values1 such as democracy1 the rule of law and human rights2 and 7,b7 enjoy a close trade and economic partnership2 7#b7 bolstering political1 economic1 and people-to-people relations with ,taiwan would benefit the ,european ,union1 individual ,european countries1 and the ,united ,states2 7#c7 the ,european ,union can play an important role in helping ,taiwan resist the economic coercion of the ,,prc by negotiating with ,taiwan regarding new economic1 commercial1 and investment agreements2 7#d7 the ,united ,states and ,european countries should coordinate and increase diplomatic efforts to facilitate ,taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations2 7#e7 the ,united ,states and ,european countries should-- 7,a7 publicly and repeatedly emphasize the differences between their respective ,one ,china policies and the ,,prc's ,one ,china principle2 and 7,b7 counter the ,,prc's propaganda and false narratives about ,united ,nations ,general ,assembly ,resolution #bgeh 7,,xxvi71 which claim the resolution recognizes ,,prc territorial claims to ,taiwan2 and 7#f7 ,taiwan's inclusion in the ,u4,s4-,,eu ,trade and ,technology ,council's ,secure ,supply ,chain working group would bring valuable expertise and enhance transatlantic cooperation in the semiconductor sector4 7c7 ,congressional briefing ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and semiannually thereafter for the following #e years1 the ,secretary of ,state shall provide a briefing to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives regarding the ,department of ,state's engagements with the ,european ,union and the governments of ,european countries to increase political and economic relations with ,taiwan1 including-- 7#a7 public statements of support for ,taiwan's democracy and its meaningful participation in international organizations2 7#b7 unofficial diplomatic visits to and from ,taiwan by high-ranking government officials and parliamentarians2 7#c7 the establishment of parliamentary caucuses or groups that promote strong relations with ,taiwan2 7#d7 strengthening subnational diplomacy1 including diplomatic and trade-related visits to and from ,taiwan by local government officials2 7#e7 strengthening coordination between ,united ,states and ,european business chambers1 universities1 think tanks1 and other civil society groups with similar groups in ,taiwan2 7#f7 establishing new representative1 economic1 or cultural offices in a ,european country or in ,taiwan2 7#g7 promoting direct flights to and from ,taiwan2 7#h7 facilitating visits by religious leaders to ,taiwan2 and 7#i7 increasing economic engagement and trade relations4 #e4 ,consultations with ,european governments on supporting ,taiwan's self-defense 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,in ,september #bjba1 the ,european ,commission released the ,european ,union ,strategy for ,cooperation in the ,indo-,pacific1 which acknowledges that increased tensions between the ,,prc and ,taiwan could impact ,european security and economic prosperity4 7#b7 ,in #bjai1 #bjba1 and #bjbc1 the ,french ,navy sent warships to transit the ,taiwan ,strait and in #bjba1 the ,british ,navy frigate ,,hms ,richmond transited the ,taiwan ,strait4 7#c7 ,in ,november #bjba1 the ,german ,navy committed to sending vessels to the ,indo-,pacific every #b years to expand cooperation with like-minded states advocating for freedom of navigation and a rules-based international order4 7#d7 ,european deterrence efforts in the ,taiwan ,strait support the ,united ,states' strategic interests1 as the ,united ,states also sends warships through the ,taiwan ,strait to promote deterrence and respond to aggressive behavior by the ,,prc towards ,taiwan4 7#e7 ,in ,april #bjbc1 ,european ,commission ,vice-,president ,josep ,borrell ,fontelles called on ,european navies to patrol the ,taiwan ,strait to show ,europe's commitment to freedom of navigation4 7#f7 ,in ,august #bjbc1 ,french ,president ,emmanuel ,macron signed into law legislation emphasizing that ,france would defend freedom of navigation in the ,indo-,pacific region1 including the ,south ,china ,sea and the ,taiwan ,strait4 7#g7 ,european countries1 including ,france1 ,germany1 the ,united ,kingdom1 the ,netherlands1 the ,czech ,republic1 and ,lithuania1 have developed ,indo-,pacific strategies4 7#h7 ,at the #bjbb ,madrid ,summit1 the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization unveiled a new ,strategic ,concept1 stating that allies will work together to address the systemic challenges posed by the ,,prc to ,euro-,atlantic security and underscored the importance of the ,indo-,pacific for ,,nato1 given that developments in that region can directly affect ,euro-,atlantic security44 7#i7 ,in ,september #bjbb1 the ,north ,atlantic ,council held its first dedicated discussion about the status of ,taiwan1 its democratic government1 and its critical role in the manufacturing of microchips globally4 7#aj7 ,in #bjbb1 the ,united ,kingdom approved a substantial increase in exports of submarine components and technology to ,taiwan to upgrade its naval forces4 7#aa7 ,in #bjbd1 ,taiwan's defense ministry signed an agreement with ,france's ,,dci ,group for the supply of parts and accessories to maintain its ,lafayette-class frigates4 7b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 preserving peace and security in the ,taiwan ,strait is a shared interest of the ,united ,states and ,europe2 7#b7 ,european countries1 particularly countries with experience combating ,russian aggression and malign activities1 can provide ,taiwan with lessons learned from their total defense programs to mobilize the military and civilians in a time of crisis2 7#c7 the ,united ,states and ,europe should increase coordination to strengthen ,taiwan's cybersecurity1 especially for critical infrastructure and network defense operations2 7#d7 the ,united ,states and ,europe should work with ,taiwan-- 7,a7 to improve its energy resiliency2 7,b7 to strengthen its food security2 7,c7 to combat misinformation1 disinformation1 digital authoritarianism1 and foreign interference2 and 7,d7 to provide expertise on how to improve defense infrastructure2 7#e7 ,european naval powers1 in coordination with the ,united ,states1 should increase freedom of navigation transits through the ,taiwan ,strait2 and 7#f7 ,european naval powers1 the ,united ,states1 and ,taiwan should establish exchanges and partnerships among their coast guards to counter coercion by the ,,prc4 7c7 ,congressional briefings ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and semiannually thereafter for the following #e years the ,secretary of ,state1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,defense1 shall provide a briefing to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives1 and the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,house of ,representatives regarding discussions with governments of ,european ,,nato countries about contributions to ,taiwan's self-defense through-- 7#a7 public statements of support for ,taiwan's security2 7#b7 arms transfers or arms sales1 particularly of weapons consistent with an asymmetric defense strategy2 7#c7 transfers or sales of dual-use items and technology2 7#d7 transfers or sales of critical nonmilitary supplies1 such as food and medicine2 7#e7 increasing the military presence of such countries in the ,indo-,pacific region2 7#f7 joint training and military exercises2 7#g7 enhancing ,taiwan's critical infrastructure resiliency1 including communication and digital infrastructure2 7#h7 coordination to counter disinformation2 7#i7 coordination to counter offensive cyber operations2 and 7#aj7 any other matter deemed important by the ,secretary of ,state and the ,secretary of ,defense4 #f4 ,expedited licensing for ,european countries transferring military equipment to ,taiwan 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state shall establish an expedited decision-making process for blanket third party transfers of defense articles and services from ,,nato countries to ,taiwan1 including transfers and re-transfers of ,united ,states origin grant1 ,foreign ,military ,sales1 and ,direct ,commercial ,sales end-items not covered by an exemption under the ,international ,traffic in ,arms ,regulations under subchapter ,m of chapter ,i of title #bb1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations4 7b7 ,availability ,the expedited decision-making process described in subsection 7a7-- 7#a7 shall be available for classified and unclassified items2 and 7#b7 shall1 to the extent practicable-- 7,a7 require the approval1 return1 or denial of any licensing application to export defense articles and services that is related to a government-to-government agreement within #ae days after the submission of such application2 and 7,b7 require the completion of the review of all other licensing requests not later than #cj days after the submission of such application4