David Hollingworth
Lawmakers from both the House and Senate, and from both sides of the aisle, recently introduced a bill aimed at protecting Taiwan from growing Chinese cyber attacks, while South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden released a joint statement declaring that the two countries are planning to build a Strategic Cybersecurity Cooperation Framework to defend South Korea from North Korean cyber activity.
When the Taiwan Cybersecurity Resiliency Act was introduced last month, its backers noted that Taiwan had been the target of up to 40 million Chinese cyber attacks each month in 2019, “some of which were later used against the United States”.
“We must push back on the Chinese Communist Party’s growing aggression and its attempts to undermine democracy around the world — including through hostile cyber actions,” said Democrat Jacky Rosen in a statement after presenting the bill.
Biden and Yoon’s declaration came only a week later, following Yoon’s state visit to the US. The commitment to increased cooperation against cyber attacks is part of a broader reaffirmation of the two country’s close ties.