WASHINGTON, D.C.: To Rep. Mike Collins, China is a bigger threat to the United States than Russia. So the Georgia Republican has voted against providing military aid to Ukraine as he advocates for doing more to arm Taiwan, the self-governing East Asian island that's at risk of military aggression from Beijing.
For Collins and other Republican lawmakers, Taiwan and Ukraine are effectively rivals for a limited pool of US military assistance. But that's not necessarily how Taipei and many of its supporters see it. They view Taiwan's fate as closely linked to Ukraine's as it struggles to push back a Russian invasion.They say China is watching closely to see if the US has the political stamina to support an ally in a prolonged, costly war.
China's military actions near the island have fueled concerns over armed attacks. President Joe Biden has said he would send troops to defend Taiwan in case of war, while his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping has demanded the US to respect his country's 'sovereignty and territorial integrity.'Collins traveled to Taiwan on his first overseas trip as a congressman.