Lawmakers signal tough stand on China in proposed defense policy bill

Congress is ordering the Pentagon to conduct a major study of a U.S. war with China around 2030 under the draft of a compromise defense authorization bill approved by House and Senate conferees this week.

The proposed National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2024 also orders the Pentagon to study the economic impact of a People’s Liberation Army invasion of Taiwan, an action President Biden has said would set in motion a U.S. military response.

The 3,093-page conference report contains the two study requirements along with more than a dozen China provisions, reflecting a bipartisan concern on Capitol Hill regarding the...