This bill would create the "Taiwan Critical Undersea Infrastructure Initiative" to protect undersea energy and telecommunications infrastructure near Taiwan. It defines "critical undersea infrastructure" and "sabotage." The Secretary of State, working with defense, homeland security, and the Coast Guard, must stand up the Initiative within 360 days and prioritize threats from the People's Republic of China. Key actions include deploying advanced monitoring, developing rapid response protocols, supporting cable hardening, and enhancing maritime domain awareness with joint patrols and partner cooperation. The bill authorizes sanctions against foreign persons and vessels responsible for sabotage, using blocking of property and visa bans, and allows the President to use IEEPA authorities and to waive sanctions for national security reasons. The bill also requires semiannual public reports to Congress through 2032 about incidents near Taiwan, and creates a Cross-Strait Contingency Planning Group chaired by the National Security Council to do scenario planning and submit classified reports.
If enacted, the United States would increase monitoring and response efforts for undersea cables and pipelines near Taiwan. The bill would support joint patrols and intelligence sharing with allies and Taiwan and could lead to sanctions on foreign vessels or people found to have sabotaged undersea infrastructure. The law would also require regular reporting to Congress about incidents and U.S. actions.
The bill specifically authorizes $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2032 to help develop rapid response protocols and related activities. No publicly available information on total cost estimates or other appropriations is provided in the bill text.
The bill's findings state that undersea cables and related infrastructure near Taiwan are vulnerable and that foreign actors, including the PRC, have used gray zone tactics and suspected sabotage. Supporters argue the United States and partners must boost monitoring, resilience, and rapid response to protect communications and energy links and to deter future sabotage.
No publicly available information.