A powerful Congressional Committee has recommended expanding NATO Plus to include India, a significant development prior to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States.
NATO Plus is a security arrangement that unites NATO and five adjusted countries—Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, and South Korea—to boost global defence cooperation.
India's inclusion would make it easier for these nations to share intelligence in a seamless manner, and India would have quick access to the most recent military technology.
A policy proposal to strengthen Taiwan's deterrence, including by expanding NATO Plus to include India, was unanimously adopted by the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Chairman Mike Gallagher and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi were in charge of the committee.
"Winning the strategic competition with the Chinese Communist Party and ensuring the security of Taiwan demands the United States strengthen ties to our allies and security partners, including India. Including India in NATO Plus security arrangements would build upon the US and India's close partnership to strengthen global security and deter the aggression of the CCP across the Indo-Pacific region," the Select Committee recommended.
The Select Committee, also known as the China Committee, is a Republican leadership initiative.
This is a significant development, according to Indian-American Ramesh Kapoor, who has been working on this proposal for six years.
He trusted that the proposal would find a spot in the National Defense Authorization Act 2024 and finally wind up turning into a rule that everyone must follow.
The China Committee stated in its set of recommendations that, in the event of an attack on Taiwan, economic sanctions against China will be most effective if key allies like the G7, NATO, NATO+5, and Quad members join.
Additionally, negotiating a joint response and publicising this message have the added benefit of increasing deterrence.
"Much like we do joint contingency planning for warfighting, we need to coordinate in peacetime with US allies. To that end, Congress should pass legislation similar to the STAND with Taiwan Act of 2023 that mandates the development of an economic sanctions package to be employed in the event of a PRC attack on Taiwan," it said.
Additionally, it ought to enact legislation to oppose the CCP's economic coercion, including tools for assisting foreign partners who are the targets of the PRC's economic coercion. The other side of monetary discouragement is the financial commitment to Taiwan.
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