Graham Says He’ll Draft Sanctions If China Tries to Invade Taiwan

(Bloomberg) -- Senator Lindsey Graham said he’ll help draft sanctions to impose on China if it tried invading Taiwan.

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The Republican said Wednesday he’d work with lawmakers from both parties to “create a robust defense supplemental for Taiwan and second, draft pre-invasion sanctions from hell to impose on China if they take action to seize Taiwan.”

He added: “To communist China, if you think you can bully your way into destroying world order without consequences, you will be making Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine look wise.”

See: Why Taiwan’s 2024 Election Matters From China to US: QuickTake

Graham made the remarks in response to an NBC report citing three current and former US officials that said Chinese leader Xi Jinping told President Joe Biden in a meeting in the US last month that Beijing would “reunify” with Taiwan but the timing has not yet been decided.

China has long said that it intends to bring the democracy of 23 million people under its control eventually, preferably by peaceful means.

Graham called the NBC report “beyond unnerving.”

When asked about the senator’s comments at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the US should “stop selling arms to Taiwan and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs.”

More: Taiwan Searches for Three Sailors After Submarine Mishap

(Updates with response from China’s Foreign Ministry.)

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