U.S.-Taiwan Advanced Research Partnership Act seeks federal cooperative research programs with Taiwan

As a bipartisan effort, U.S. Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) introduced the U.S.-Taiwan Advanced Research Partnership Act last week that would allow new federal coordination and cooperation with Taiwan to research and prepare for cyber threats.

According to the 2023 National Institute for Defense Studies’ China Security Report, Taiwan endured 1.4 billion cyberattacks between September 2019 and August 2020 against a mix of economic, political, and military entities. These attempts all sought to either steal or destroy data. Given the increase of attacks against the United States in recent years, the congressmen envisioned cooperative research – led by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State – to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities.

“As the number of cyberattacks against the U.S. and our allies increase, so does the need for cybersecurity,” Gonzales said. “This bill would strengthen both Taiwanese and U.S. homeland security through bilateral information sharing on incurred cyber incidents while also facilitating joint initiatives to bolster cybersecurity. With Taiwan being one of America’s strongest partners abroad, I am proud to spearhead this effort in Congress.”

No additional funds would be authorized for this. However, within a year after the implementation of the legislation, the Under Secretary for Science and Technology at DHS would need to file a status update with Congress on how these agreements were going, as well as anything constraining those efforts.

“Cyber threats from China increasingly require international collaboration with our allies,” Sherrill said. “This bipartisan legislation will strengthen cooperation on cybersecurity research and development efforts between the U.S. and Taiwan, putting us on a path toward innovative solutions to the challenges we face.”