Taiwan first domino for Beijing to reach global dominance: Cornyn

Washington, Nov. 16 (CNA) Taiwan should not be seen as the Chinese Communist Party's ultimate goal but as the "first domino in a quest to reach regional and global dominance," U.S. Senator John Cornyn said Tuesday in pushing for passage of the National Defense Authorization Act.

"If Taiwan falls, it will not be the end, but rather a beginning," the Republican senator from Texas said on the floor, urging the Congress to help combat China's overreach in the region by passing the defense bill.

Even though Taiwan has been a self-governing entity for more than 70 years, the CCP continues to claim it as part of its territory, Cornyn said, warning that Beijing's ambition reaches far beyond Taiwan.

"If China is able to capture Taiwan, there's no reason to believe that the Chinese Communist Party would stop there. China also has territorial claims against the Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, and India," he said.

"Taiwan isn't just a Taiwan problem, it's a China problem," Cornyn said, citing Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, one of the people Cornyn and his congressional delegation met last week during a trip to countries in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan.

Cornyn is one of the initiators of several pro-Taiwan bills in the U.S. Senate, including the Taiwan Partnership Act that was submitted in July, which calls for a partnership between the U.S. National Guard and Taiwan's military.

He has also pushed the Taiwan Deterrence Act put forth earlier this month to increase military aid to Taiwan and bolster its defense and counter Chinese coercion.