Elon
Musk,
CEO
of
Tesla
and
X,
speaks
at
the
Atreju
political
convention
organized
by
Fratelli
d’Italia
(Brothers
of
Italy),
in
Rome,
Dec.
15,
2023.

Antonio
Masiello
|
Getty
Images

The
House
Select
Committee
on
the
Chinese
Communist
Party
sent
a
letter
on
Saturday
to

Elon
Musk

demanding
that
U.S.
troops
stationed
in
Taiwan
get
access
to

SpaceX’s

Starshield,
a
satellite
communication
network
designed
specifically
for
the
military.

The
letter,
obtained
by
CNBC
and
first
reported
by
Forbes,
claimed
that
by
not
making
Starshield
available
to
U.S.
military
forces
in
Taiwan,
SpaceX
could
violate
its
Pentagon
contract,
which
requires
“global
access”
to
Starshield
technology.

“I
understand,
however,
that
SpaceX
is
possibly
withholding
broadband
internet
services
in
and
around
Taiwan

possibly
in
breach
of
SpaceX’s
contractual
obligations
with
the
U.S.
government,”
read
the
letter,
which
was
signed
by
Rep.
Mike
Gallagher,
R-Wi.,
who
chairs
the
House
CCP
committee.

The

Pentagon

awarded
SpaceX
a
one-year
contract
for
Starshield
in
September,
after
commissioning
SpaceX’s
Starlink
network
months
earlier
for
Ukraine’s
war
against
Russia,
which
hit
the
two-year
mark
on
Saturday.

The
letter
comes
after
Gallagher
led
a
visit
to
Taiwan
where
he
and
a
delegation
of
other
lawmakers
met
with
Taiwan
officials
like
President
Tsai
Ing-wen
and
President-Elect
Lai
Ching-te.

The
letter
said
that
the
lawmakers
learned
that
U.S.
troops
stationed
in
Taiwan
were
not
able
to
use
Starshield
despite
the
Pentagon’s
stipulation
of
global
access:
“Multiple
sources
have
disclosed
to
the
Committee
that
Starshield
is
inactive
in
and
around
Taiwan.”

The
letter
requests
that
Musk
provide
the
House
committee
with
a
briefing
on
its
Taiwan
operations
by
March
8.

Taiwan
has
been
governing
itself
independently
of
China
since
the
island
split
from
the
mainland
during
the
1949
civil
war.
China
has
said
it
still
lays
claim
to
Taiwan
and
has
repeatedly
made
clear
its
intention
to
reunify
the
sovereign
island
with
the
mainland.

“In
the
event
of
CCP
military
aggression
against
Taiwan,
American
servicemembers
in
the
Western
Pacific
would
be
put
at
severe
risk,”
read
the
letter.
“Ensuring
robust
communication
networks
for
U.S.
military
personnel
on
and
around
Taiwan
is
paramount
for
safeguarding
U.S.
interests
in
the
Indo-Pacific
region.”



Tesla’s

success
hinges
on
favorable
business
relations
with
China,
which
has
led
Musk,
its
CEO,
to
cultivate
cozy
relations
with
the
country,
despite
its
broader
tensions
with
the
U.S.
Tesla
operates
its
own
factory
in
Shanghai
while
other
foreign
automakers
in
China
had
been
required
to
establish
joint
ventures.

Musk
came

under
fire

from
Taiwanese
officials
last
September
for
seemingly
siding
with
China’s
reunification
doctrine
toward
Taiwan,
stating
that
the
self-governing
island
was
an
essential
part
of
China.

“I
think
I’ve
got
a
pretty
good
understanding
as
an
outsider
of
China,”
Musk
said
on
the

All-In
Podcast
.
“From
their
standpoint,
maybe
it
is
analogous
to
Hawaii
or
something
like
that,
like
an
integral
part
of
China
that
is
arbitrarily
not
part
of
China.”

“Listen
up,
#Taiwan
is
not
part
of
the
#PRC
&
certainly
not
for
sale,”
Taiwan’s
Minister
of
Foreign
Affairs
Jaushieh
Joseph
Wu

wrote

on
X
in
response
to
Musk’s
comment.

SpaceX
and
Musk
did
not
immediately
respond
to
a
request
for
comment
on
the
letter.


This
story
is
developing.
Please
check
back
for
updates.

Read
the
full
letter
here: