United States Senator Marsha Blackburn, who is on a visit to Taipei, said Friday that a bill she introduced to the U.S. Congress in July was aimed at deterring Beijing from taking aggressive military activities against Taiwan.

The bill, dubbed as the Taiwan Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act, is intended to act as a “deterrence” and “send a warning” to Beijing by making it aware that Taiwan would swiftly acquire the resources it needs to defend itself, Blackburn, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said during a keynote speech at the Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs in Taipei.

The proposed legislation would expedite the U.S. military aid to Taiwan through a defense lending or lease program, Blackburn said, adding that the bill had taken inspiration from the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act that was signed into law by U.S. President Joe Biden in May.

In addition to providing defense articles, Blackburn said, the bill would “strategize the U.S. defense policy in support of Taiwan, require comprehensive reporting of what Taiwan needs to defend itself and give us a clearer picture of what the threat from the [Chinese People’s Liberation Army] actually appears to be.”

The senator underscored the importance for Taiwan to maintain self-defense capabilities in the face of “China’s continued aggression in and around Taiwan’s territory,” which she said was intended to “[test] Taiwan’s resolve and the rest of the world’s tolerance for even more imperialist violence.”

The 70-year-old senator has been critical of Beijing, which she described to the media as a U.S. “adversary.”

According to Blackburn, the partnership between Taiwan and the U.S. makes Beijing “a little bit nervous.”

“When they look at the U.S. and Taiwan, they see more than just a transactional partnership. They see a relationship that is growing [by] leaps and bounds beyond the restrictions the Chinese Communist Party would like to impose on either Taiwan or the U.S.,” she said.

“Most importantly, they see our collective resolve to work together to make sure that they fail in their quest for global domination,” she added.

Blackburn, who has represented Tennessee since 2019, arrived in Taipei late Thursday night for a three-day visit and is scheduled to depart on Saturday.

Earlier on Friday, the Republican senator also met with President Tsai Ing-wen (???) and Foreign Ministry Joseph Wu (???).

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel