Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13 was closely observed far beyond its borders for one particular reason: The outcome could have triggered a belligerent response from China, which could have led to dangerous new tensions between Washington and Beijing. But that didn’t happen. The winner, the Democratic Progressive Party’s Lai Ching-te, was not Beijing’s preferred candidate, given his reputation in China as a separatist. Yet Beijing responded to Lai’s victory in a relatively muted fashion. Lai, in turn, has continued to signal that he doesn’t want to escalate tensions with his country’s bigger neighbor.
How is Washington viewing developments in Taipei and Beijing? What impact will Taiwan’s election have on the U.S.-China relationship? FP’s Ravi Agrawal spoke with Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democratic Congressman who serves as the ranking member of the influential House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democratic U.S. congressman and the ranking member of the House select committee on China , on how Taiwan is viewing U.S. willingness to intervene in the event of a conflict with China.
Rep. Krishnamoorthi speaks with FP Live about how the United States can rebuild faith in Congress by passing an aid package and forming consensus across the political spectrum on how to deal with China.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, explains how the United States’ partnerships and allies will help Washington build deterrence and deal with so many conflicts at once.
The ranking member of the House select committee on China, Raja Krishnamoorthi, lists the top three points in the committee’s plan to reset the United States’ economic relationship with China.
Raja Krishnamoorthi
U.S. representative for Illinois’s 8th Congressional District
Raja Krishnamoorthi was elected to Congress in 2016 and is now in his fourth term representing Illinois’s 8th District, which includes Chicago’s west and northwest suburbs as well as the 41st ward of the city. He serves as the ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, making him the first South Asian American to lead a congressional committee.
Host
Ravi Agrawal
Editor in chief, Foreign Policy
Ravi Agrawal is the editor in chief of Foreign Policy, the host of FP Live, and a regular world affairs analyst on TV and radio. Before joining FP in 2018, Agrawal worked at CNN for more than a decade in full-time roles spanning three continents, including as the network’s New Delhi bureau chief and correspondent. He is the author of India Connected: How the Smartphone Is Transforming the World’s Largest Democracy.
