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Combatting the Chinese government’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific

by Reps. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), opinion contributors - 06/09/23 11:30 AM ET

In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the USS Chung-Hoon observes a Chinese navy ship conduct what it called an "unsafe” Chinese maneuver in the Taiwan Strait, Saturday, June 3, 2023, in which the Chinese navy ship cut sharply across the path of the American destroyer, forcing the U.S. ship to slow to avoid a collision. The incident occurred as the American destroyer and Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal were conducting a so-called “freedom of navigation” transit of the strait between Taiwan and mainland China. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Andre T. Richard/U.S. Navy via AP) — In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the USS Chung-Hoon observes a Chinese navy ship conduct what it called an “unsafe” Chinese maneuver in the Taiwan Strait, Saturday, June 3, 2023, in which the Chinese navy ship cut sharply across the path of the American destroyer, forcing the U.S. ship to slow to avoid a collision. The incident occurred as the American destroyer and Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal were conducting a so-called “freedom of navigation” transit of the strait between Taiwan and mainland China. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Andre T. Richard/U.S. Navy via AP)

The People’s Republic of China’s growing provocation and influence across the globe demands our attention. From social media propaganda and malicious cyber-attacks to aggression in the South China Sea that threatens our military and allies, we must not shrug off their ever-increasing threats.

As the People’s Republic of China continues to strengthen its global standing and strong-arm vulnerable nations into its grasp, the United States must reinforce our position in the Indo-Pacific region. If we don’t, we are actively putting our strategic military and economic interests on the line.

The region’s importance must not be underestimated. Since the end of World War II, the U.S. military and our allies have kept a presence in the area. According to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, “the region is a vital driver of the global economy and includes the world’s busiest international sea lanes, and nine of the ten largest ports. The Asia-Pacific is also a heavily militarized region, with seven of the world’s 10 largest standing militaries and five of the world’s declared nuclear nations. Given these conditions, the strategic complexity facing the region is unique.”

Now more than ever, America’s relationships with U.S. territories in the region — Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and American Samoa — as well as with the Freely Associated States (FAS) — the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau and the Republic of the Marshall Islands — must remain a high priority.

To accomplish this, we launched the bipartisan Indo-Pacific Task Force this week, with the assistance of U.S. Dels. Aumua Amata Radewagen of American Samoa, James Moylan of Guam, and Gregorio Sablan of the CNMI, along with 10 additional bipartisan members of the House Committee on Natural Resources. Their perspectives and experiences in the region will be invaluable to the task force as we begin our work.

The task force’s goal is to conduct oversight on the issues facing the Pacific territories and the FAS, as well as provide policy recommendations to the committee at large as we work to counter mounting influence from the Chinese government in the region.

One way we will accomplish this is by being rigorous in our oversight of the upcoming renewals of the Compacts of Free Association (COFA) between the United States and the FAS. The compacts allow the U.S. to “operate military bases … make decisions related to their [FAS] external security, and they entitle the FAS to U.S. security guarantees and economic assistance.” Working with the FAS and officials from the departments of State, the Interior and Defense, we will be able to ensure our mutual strategic partnerships with these nations remain strong. Oversight will be critical to ensuring that the renewed COFA agreements reflect U.S. interests, are fiscally responsible, preserve our longstanding relationships with and commitments to the FAS, whose citizens have served and sacrificed in all branches of our military, and counter the People’s Republic of China’s growing influence in the region.

For the U.S. territories in the region, the task force will shine a light on the Chinese government’s maligned activity that continues to negatively impact the local communities in the region and around the world.

The Pacific territories and the FAS countries are on the front lines against the Chinese government’s economic coercion, illegal fishing, intelligence gathering, drug trafficking and attempts to improperly influence government officials. The Indo-Pacific Task Force will assess measures to counter this activity and help build resiliency in the region.

We must equip ourselves and our allies in the Indo-Pacific with the tools necessary to push back against the People’s Republic of China’s growing threat. The House Committee on Natural Resources and our new Indo-Pacific Task Force stand ready to do just that.

Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) is chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources and Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is ranking member of the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Tags Bruce Westerman China-US relations Indo-Pacific