China committee chairman mulls running ‘creative wargaming’ amid threats to Taiwan
Ryan King
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House Select Committee on China Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) is contemplating having his panel undergo “wargaming” scenarios of how an invasion of Taiwan would play out.
Gallagher contends that such simulations could highlight to the public how the military and economic ramifications of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would affect the United States and how ready Washington is for that scenario.
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“We’re exploring options where we could do creative wargaming that integrates financial and economic warfare into purely kinetic warfare to tease out the importance of Taiwan,” Gallagher said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
The panel was established after Republicans took control of the lower chamber. Gallagher believes the U.S. should focus on deterrence by aiding Taiwan in hopes of scaring off an invasion — something he insists will be core to the panel’s deliberations.
“We can learn the lessons of Ukraine and surge hard power west of the international dateline and turn all this happy talk about arming Taiwan to the teeth to reality,” he told Semafor. “Then I think we can prevent war.”
Part of his goal is to inject some life into what can often be dull congressional hearings. To break the mold, Gallagher is also eyeing possible field hearings on China, per Semafor.
Pentagon officials have run war game simulations in the past. A recent simulation conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies cast doubt on the prospects of China claiming an easy victory over Taiwan if the U.S. and Japan rallied to Taipei’s defense. Other simulations have been less promising.
Regardless of the outcome, most war games conclude that a war between China and Taiwan would result in a catastrophic loss of life. Beijing has been bolstering its military in the region and made numerous incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone last year.
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Ranking member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) views the China panel as a golden opportunity for Congress to make bipartisan strides on a complex matter.
Beyond rising tensions with China over Taiwan and other disputes, the panel is likely to highlight Beijing’s record on human rights, which Krishnamoorthi underscored can draw bipartisan agreement from Republicans and Democrats.
Gallagher also sought to reassure critics the “select committee will not be a platform for anti-Asian rhetoric” and will work to make a clear distinction between Chinese people and the Chinese Communist Party, per Semafor.