The United States and its allies cannot afford to take a passive stance with regard to Taiwan and plan to rely only on sanctions in the event that Beijing acts on long-held plans to invade the sovereign territory. That’s according to Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) and Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), who offered their insights at an April 5 virtual event sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace entitled “What Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Means for the Indo-Pacific.” While Taiwan and Ukraine are similar in respects, namely in the danger posed to them by much larger neighboring authoritarian powers, the sanctions applied in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine are not an all-purpose solution and might not prove an effective punishment against Beijing, they said. Hence other options such as bolstering Taiwan’s defensive capabilities must be on the table. “A month ago, the world watched in horror as Vladimir …