The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a bill Wednesday to boost ties with Taiwan and give it more military hardware to deter a Chinese invasion, though the final legislation will need to address White House objections if it has any chance of becoming law.
The Taiwan Policy Act would give Taipei $4.5 billion for defense over four years, call for the U.S. to "engage with” its democratically elected government as the "legitimate representative of the people of Taiwan” and affirm the president’s power to levy sanctions on Chinese officials and financial institutions involved in actions against the island.
The measure was approved 17 to 5, sending it to the full Senate for consideration and an uncertain fate.