Orange, CA – Today, U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40), who serves as chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific, delivered opening remarks at a roundtable at Santiago Canyon College in California’s 40th District titled, “Global Ties, Local Impact: Why Taiwan Matters for California.”
Watch her opening remarks here and read them below. Learn more about the roundtable here.
Thank you to my colleague, Representative Jay Obernolte, and our panelists for joining today’s hearing in California’s 40th district, and I want to thank Santiago Canyon College for providing this space for us.
This hearing is titled “Global Ties, Local Impact: Why Taiwan Matters for California.”
While Taiwan is a top national security and foreign policy topic in Washington, some might wonder how Taiwan issues affect Orange County and Southern California.
The island is 7,000 miles away from our coast and is a quarter the size of Southern California.
Despite its small size and long distance from us, Taiwan’s cultural and economic importance is felt across our communities.
Driving up Chapman this morning, I passed 85 Degrees Bakery, where you can find delicious Taiwanese breads, cakes, and bubble teas.
If we took a short drive to South Coast Plaza, we would no doubt be met with a long line stretching out from Din Tai Fung, a Michelin star restaurant serving Taiwan’s famous soup dumplings.
And in the palm of everyone’s hand is likely a smart phone that is powered by a semiconductor manufactured by TSMC.
These are just a few prominent examples of Taiwan’s contributions to Orange County’s culture and community.
Taiwanese have been calling Southern California their home for decades, starting businesses, creating jobs, and building strong communities – one of the many reasons why Southern California is known as the Gateway to the Pacific Rim.
In some ways, this was made possible by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which created a pathway for U.S.-Taiwan relations after the United States diplomatically recognized the People’s Republic of China.
As Chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Indo-Pacific Subcommittee, Taiwan has been a focal point of our work.
In May, my subcommittee held a hearing on the Taiwan Relations Act.
I’ve also traveled twice to Taiwan this Congress and met with its leaders.
Even though Taiwan is governed democratically by the Taiwanese people, the island is under constant economic and military coercion and pressure from the Chinese Community Party.
The CCP regularly conducts military exercises around the island, including during both my visits, to train for military conflict or an economic blockade.
Although 7,000 miles away, Taiwan is not an “over there” problem.
Some estimates suggest that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would cost the global economy $10 trillion – a larger impact than the 2008 Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.
For a high-tech economy like California, the effects would be devastating.
A potential invasion is not hypothetical—Xi Jinping, the leader of the CCP, has ordered his military to be capable of capturing Taiwan by 2027.
This is truly becoming a “here and now” issue.
Foreign policy is not something that only concerns Washington DC – it concerns every American.
Each day we see more how world events come knocking on our door.
As members of Congress, we must explain to our constituents the high stakes playing out in the Taiwan Strait—and how it directly impacts each of us here at home.
We have a wonderful panel of Taiwanese Americans that can put a face to this issue and explain what the bilateral relationship means to Orange County and Taiwan.
Taiwanese are hard-working and modest, but today I want to celebrate the contributions these fine witnesses have made to Southern California.
I have no doubt you’ve heard plenty of criticisms of the People’s Republic of China, for which I have many.
But we are here to highlight the positive impact Taiwan has had on Southern California. And to better understand how critical Taiwan is to our economy and community.
