Weber Times

On June 3, 2024, Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT) introduced the Deterring Economic Aggression Through Retaliation (DETER) Act, a bicameral piece of legislation co-sponsored by Senator James Lankford (R-OK). The bill aims to counter the People's Republic of China's (PRC) aggressive behavior and use economic leverage to prevent an invasion of Taiwan.

The DETER Act seeks to avert a potential crisis in the Taiwan Strait by revoking China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status with the United States if the PRC engages in military aggression or serious economic coercion, such as a blockade, that violates Taiwan's sovereignty or territorial integrity. Additionally, it mandates regular assessments by the United States Trade Representative and other agencies on U.S. trade and supply chain vulnerabilities affected by PNTR suspension. These assessments would include proposals to mitigate risks and reduce reliance on China.

"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,” said Congressman Blake Moore. “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. Senator Lankford and I believe that we need to send Communist China a clear message that changes their calculus and prevents an invasion. I am proud to use my position on the House Ways and Means Committee to advance U.S. national security through trade policy.”

Senator James Lankford echoed these sentiments: “The Chinese Communist Party has consistently taken advantage of poorer nations around the globe. They have eliminated personal freedom in Hong Kong, committed untold human rights violations, stolen American intellectual property, and continually threaten their neighbors,” he said. “The DETER Act will leverage China’s access to the American market to deter further aggression and allow the US to immediately act in the event Beijing invades Taiwan. We must not wait until a war has started—we must act now to put China on notice and ultimately deter the CCP from invading Taiwan.”

PNTR provides foreign countries "most favored nation status" under U.S. trade law, granting them preferential access to the U.S. market with fewer tariff barriers. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Congress quickly revoked PNTR status for Russia and Belarus—a move seen as partially due to miscalculations about Western resolve because clear signals were not sent before Russia's actions.

The DETER Act aims to avoid repeating this mistake with Xi Jinping's open desire regarding Taiwan by establishing clear economic consequences should China engage militarily against Taiwan.

This bill received primary referral to the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees all foreign trade and revenue-raising measures within the House of Representatives.