[House Hearing, 112 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
TO STRENGTHEN AND CLARIFY THE COMMERCIAL, CULTURAL, AND OTHER RELATIONS
BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE PEOPLE OF TAIWAN, AS CODIFIED IN THE
TAIWAN RELATIONS ACT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES; AND TO PROVIDE TAIWAN
WITH CRITICALLY NEEDED UNITED STATES-BUILT MULTIROLE FIGHTER AIRCRAFT
TO STRENGTHEN ITS SELF-DEFENSE CAPABILITY AGAINST THE INCREASING
MILITARY THREAT FROM CHINA
=======================================================================
MARKUP
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
ON
H.R. 2918 and H.R. 2992
__________
NOVEMBER 17, 2011
__________
Serial No. 112-116
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/
or
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/
______
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COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida, Chairman
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey HOWARD L. BERMAN, California
DAN BURTON, Indiana GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York
ELTON GALLEGLY, California ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American
DANA ROHRABACHER, California Samoa
DONALD A. MANZULLO, Illinois DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey
EDWARD R. ROYCE, California BRAD SHERMAN, California
STEVE CHABOT, Ohio ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York
RON PAUL, Texas GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York
MIKE PENCE, Indiana RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri
JOE WILSON, South Carolina ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey
CONNIE MACK, Florida GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia
JEFF FORTENBERRY, Nebraska THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida
MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas DENNIS CARDOZA, California
TED POE, Texas BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky
GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida BRIAN HIGGINS, New York
JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio ALLYSON SCHWARTZ, Pennsylvania
BILL JOHNSON, Ohio CHRISTOPHER S. MURPHY, Connecticut
DAVID RIVERA, Florida FREDERICA WILSON, Florida
MIKE KELLY, Pennsylvania KAREN BASS, California
TIM GRIFFIN, Arkansas WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts
TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island
JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina
ANN MARIE BUERKLE, New York
RENEE ELLMERS, North Carolina
ROBERT TURNER, New York
Yleem D.S. Poblete, Staff Director
Richard J. Kessler, Democratic Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
MARKUP OF
H.R. 2918, To strengthen and clarify the commercial, cultural,
and other relations between the United States and the people of
Taiwan, as codified in the Taiwan Relations Act, and for other
purposes....................................................... 2
Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 2918 offered by
the Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Representative in
Congress from the State of Florida, and chairman, Committee
on Foreign Affairs........................................... 26
Amendment to H.R. 2918 offered by the Honorable Gerald E.
Connolly, a Representative in Congress from the Commonwealth
of Virginia.................................................. 28
H.R. 2992, To provide Taiwan with critically needed Untied
States-built multirole fighter aircraft to strengthen its self-
defense capability against the increasing military threat from
China.......................................................... 29
Amendment to H.R. 2992 offered by the Honorable Gerald E.
Connolly..................................................... 34
LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD
APPENDIX
Markup notice.................................................... 42
Markup minutes................................................... 43
The Honorable Elton Gallegly, a Representative in Congress from
the State of California: Prepared statement on H.R. 2918....... 45
The Honorable Gerald E. Connolly: Prepared statement on H.R. 2992 48
TO STRENGTHEN AND CLARIFY THE COMMERCIAL, CULTURAL, AND OTHER RELATIONS
BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE PEOPLE OF TAIWAN, AS CODIFIED IN THE
TAIWAN RELATIONS ACT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES; AND TO PROVIDE TAIWAN
WITH CRITICALLY NEEDED UNITED STATES-BUILT MULTIROLE FIGHTER AIRCRAFT
TO STRENGTHEN ITS SELF-DEFENSE CAPABILITY AGAINST THE INCREASING
MILITARY THREAT FROM CHINA
----------
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011
House of Representatives,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 o'clock a.m.,
in room 2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen (chairman of the committee) presiding.
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen. The committee will come to order.
Pursuant to notice the committee meets this morning to mark up
two strongly bipartisan measures, H.R. 2918, the Taiwan Policy
Act of 2011; and H.R. 2992, the Taiwan Airpower Modernization
Act of 2011. Members have before them copies of both bills as
well as the three brief bipartisan amendments that were
provided to your offices earlier this week.
According to the expedited procedures shared with everyone
yesterday, we will consider and approve all of those measures
en bloc and then I will recognize myself, the ranking member,
and any other member seeking recognition for remarks. All
members are given leave to insert written remarks into the
record, should they choose to do so.
And so without objection, the following measures are
considered as read and will be considered en bloc: H.R. 2918,
the Taiwan Policy Act of 2011; amendment 97 to H.R. 2918,
offered by the Chair; amendment 105 to H.R. 2918, offered by
Mr. Connolly; H.R. 2992, the Taiwan Airpower Modernization Act
of 2011; and amendment 106 to H.R. 2992, offered by Mr.
Connolly.
[The information referred to follows:]H.R.
2918 deg.
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Chairman Ros-Lehtinen. The Chair moves that the measures
just listed be adopted by the committee. All those in favor say
aye.
[Chorus of ayes.]
All opposed no.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it and the bills
and amendments considered en bloc are approved. Without
objection, H.R. 2918 and H.R. 2922, as amended, will each be
reported as a single amendment in the nature of a substitute
and staff are directed to make technical and conforming
changes.
I will recognize members who wish to make statements on
these measures beginning with myself and the ranking member.
The committee just adopted legislation relating to U.S.-
Taiwan relations and the defense needs of Taiwan including H.R.
2918, the Taiwan Policy Act of 2011. This legislation is
designed to address the drift and lack of strategic thinking
that has hurt the relationship in recent years. Although Taiwan
maintains the staunch support of its many friends in Congress,
the relationship has been placed on the defensive this past
year by a growing number of policy revisions. Apologists who
would use Taiwan as a bargaining chip to placate a rising China
started voicing their views in the Journal of Foreign Affairs
at the beginning of the year and have continued with an article
last week titled, ``To Save Our Economy, Ditch Taiwan.''
It was due to concerns over these voices of appeasement
that I felt it necessary to further strengthen and clarify our
relations with the people of Taiwan by introducing the Taiwan
Policy Act, and I note that in the audience we have Mr. Lester
Wolff, a former Member of Congress, who this morning gave me
his book, an analytic compilation with documents on subsequent
developments on the legislative history of the Taiwan Relations
Act, which has been the cornerstone of U.S.-Taiwan policies.
Good to see you, Congressman Wolff.
These concerns have only been amplified by the
administration's regrettable and short-sighted decision not to
sell the next generation of F-16 CD fighters to Taiwan despite
growing evidence of China's increasing military threat to the
island. Taiwan needs those F-16s, and she needs them now, to
defend the skies over the Taiwan Strait. And Taiwan also needs
diesel submarines, and she needs them now, to protect her
territorial waters from the rapidly expanding PLA navy. And
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta's comments last month in Bali
that we gave Beijing ``a heads up'' before the formal
announcement on armed sales to Taiwan, despite assurances to
the contrary given by administration witnesses at a prior
committee hearing, raises further concerns about adherence to
the Taiwan Relations Act and Ronald Reagan's Six Assurances.
The bill considered and adopted today will help ensure that
Taiwan's peace, prosperity, and security will be maintained for
the next three decades and beyond. It would also further
strengthen commercial relations between the United States and
the people of Taiwan. While American trade interests in Asia
stagnate, Beijing is expanding its own commercial interests
even further out into the Pacific. Washington cannot cede
supremacy in economic influence over the Pacific to Beijing.
This legislation would also expedite people-to-people ties that
are so vital to strengthening our bilateral relations by
including Taiwan in the Visa Waiver Program consistent with our
homeland security requirements.
By building on the firm foundation laid by the Taiwan
Relations Act over three decades ago, the Taiwan Policy Act
will serve to move relations between the peoples of the United
States and Taiwan to new levels in the areas of security,
trade, and international travel. This committee showed its
support for the people of Taiwan, for the sale of F-16 fighters
to this island democracy, and for the spirit of the Taiwan
Relations Act by taking favorable action on this legislation.
Similarly, the committee also considered H.R. 2992, the
Taiwan Airpower Modernization Act today. This important
legislation was introduced by Congresswoman Granger, the
distinguished chair of the Subcommittee on State, Foreign
Operations of the Appropriations Committee. As the name of the
title suggests, this is straight-forward legislation. It simply
requires that the President carry out the sale of no fewer than
66-16C/D multiple fighter aircraft to Taiwan.
As members are aware, under the terms of the Taiwan
Relations Act, the U.S. is obligated to make available defense
articles and services necessary for Taiwan's self defense. In
order to meet this requirement, the U.S. must provide Taiwan
with the equipment necessary to help the island nation defend
its own airspace.
While the recent agreement by the U.S. to upgrade Taiwan's
existing fleet of F-16s is a step in the right direction,
Taiwan also urgently needs new advanced combat aircraft to help
meet the growing menace from communist China. Accordingly, it
is long past due for the executive branch to cease its
dithering on this issue, and sell Taiwan the new F-16s it has
sought since the year 2006. I strongly support passage of this
legislation.
And now I'm pleased to recognize my friend, the ranking
member, for comments that he might like to make. Mr. Berman.
Mr. Berman. Well, thank you very much, Madam Chairman, for
scheduling the markup and particularly thank you for doing this
in a way that I know since I'm a strong supporter of both bills
that nothing I say can screw up its passage. I am a great
admirer of what the Taiwanese people have accomplished and
therefore am a strong supporter of Taiwan and both of these
bills will bolster our bilateral relationship with an important
friend and ally.
H.R. 2992, the Taiwan Airpower Modernization Act of 2011
seeks to provide Taiwan with advanced F-16 CD fighter jets in
order to strengthen Taiwan's self-defense capability against
the increasing military threat from mainland China.
I welcome the Obama administration's decision to upgrade
Taiwan's existing fleet of F-16 fighters, but view that as only
a first step. Taiwan needs more advanced F-16s to help deter
and if necessary defend against an attack from China. And it
needs them sooner rather than later, as China has still not
renounced the use of military force to resolve its longstanding
dispute with Taiwan.
When this committee held a hearing on Taiwan last month,
the administration stated that it had not closed the door to
selling new F-16 CDs to Taiwan and would continue to evaluate
Taipei's interest in acquiring these advanced fighter jets.
H.R. 2992 is the logical next step in ensuring Taiwan can
maintain a sufficient defensive capability and in satisfying
Taiwan's interest in procuring these new fighters.
Members on both sides of the aisle have a strong commitment
to maintaining Taiwan's security in the face of the growing
Chinese military threat and this bipartisan bill is a vehicle
to express Congress' commitment.
The other Taiwan bill before us, H.R. 2198, the Taiwan
Policy Act of 2011, your bill, Madam Chairman, is intended to
strengthen and update certain aspects of the U.S.-Taiwan
relationship. I'm especially pleased to see that it includes a
provision that would allow senior leaders of Taiwan to visit
the United States, a problem that has long needed a remedy. Why
is it that the President of a democratic partner of the United
States is not allowed to visit this country, except as part of
transit stops to other countries? It's time that all Taiwanese
officials are afforded the proper respect and be allowed to
visit the United States.
Your bill, Madam Chairman, also includes provisions to
maintain U.S. support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in
international organizations like the World Health Assembly and
the International Civil Aviation Organization. I have long been
a supporter of Taiwan's participation in the World Health
Organization and am pleased to see this act continues U.S.
policy to ensure Taiwan's continued participation in the WHA
and other international organizations in the future. Both of
these bills before the committee today will continue the strong
U.S. support for Taiwan and maintain the close ties between the
U.S. and the people of Taiwan. I urge--I don't need to, my
colleague, I'm glad my colleague supported these pieces of
legislation and I yield back.
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you so much.
Mr. Berman. Can I have one----
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
Mr. Berman. I've got a few seconds here. Just on the larger
issue, one thing I do want to say is it is quite evident both
on the general issue of America's presence in the Western
Pacific that this administration is deeply committed to
maintaining and strengthening that presence this very week. And
by the administration's own commitments with respect to any
defense cuts that may be coming, none of those cuts, none of
that presence is going to be reduced. It's being strengthened
and part of the demonstration of that is the closer and closer
ties that many of the countries of East Asia are seeking with
the United States on that issue. So on this issue, I think we
have nothing to fear. The administration, I think, is actually
pursuing this quite diligently and effectively. With that, I
yield back.
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you so much, Mr. Berman.
Mr. Rohrabacher is recognized.
Mr. Rohrabacher. I pass. Thank you very much.
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen. Mr. Royce is recognized for any
statements you might like.
Mr. Royce. Thank you, Madam Chairman. Thank you both for
your leadership on Taiwan, Madam Chairman. Thanks for holding
this markup. This legislation, of which I'm an original co-
sponsor, comes at a pretty important time, because there's an
academic debate that's brewing. You see it in the papers about
``abandoning Taiwan.'' According to some, we should have the
United States back away from Taiwan to supposedly improve
relations with China. I think members understand that stepping
back from Taiwan would not result in China taking a firmer line
on North Korea, which is a concern to us, or on Iran's nuclear
programs. It would have no impact on that. It wouldn't get
China to drop its predatory economic policies. What I'm
concerned it might do, it might be more likely that China would
conclude that the U.S. is weak and can be manipulated.
I would argue if you really think it through, when you
reflect on this, that that could be the result. It is
interesting that tensions between China and its other neighbors
have heightened. You have to think this through in the context
of this hypothesis on abandoning Taiwan because that reality,
those heightened tensions, undercuts the theory that China's
dispute with Taiwan is the only impediment to its peaceful
rise. Bad ideas need to be challenged before they take grip.
Moving this bill forward, demonstrating our broad commitment to
Taiwan pours cold water over such naive thinking.
I do regret, however, that another committee forced us to
walk back the introduced language on U.S.-Taiwan economic
relations. Earlier this year we heard testimony on how a single
issue representing less than 1 percent of our bilateral trade
relationship is being used to hold up our entire trade
relationship. This is our ninth largest trading partner,
colleagues. We should be talking and working to address U.S.
economic interests. But that said, this is a good bill which we
should advance. I urge its passage. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you very much, Mr. Royce. Mr.
Chabot is recognized.
Mr. Chabot. Thank you, Madam Chair. I thank the chair and
the ranking member for their statements and I agree with
virtually every thing that each one of them said.
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen. But mostly with my words.
Mr. Chabot. Mostly with yours, but Mr. Berman was
particularly articulate this morning as well. But I have been
with one of the co-chairs of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus
for about 10 years before my 2-year involuntary sabbatical and
now back, so I've had a great interest and been there probably
8 or 9 times over my 15 years here in Congress and have watched
this relationship between Taiwan and the Peoples Republic of
China as China has increased from I think it was 500, 600
missiles when I first came in '95 to over 1,400 missiles that
are aimed at Taiwan right now.
Let's face it, as much as we trade with China over the next
century and probably beyond that, they're going to be our
principal rival on this planet and it can be a cooperative
relationship, we can trade back and forth to the benefit of
both countries and the world or China can continue to go down
this path where they're flexing their muscle in the region.
Other countries, I think, are being intimidated. They've tried
to bully Taiwan for years and years now. So we have to be there
for our allies. Taiwan has been a strong ally. Does rely upon
the United States to a considerable degree. In general, we've
been a reliable ally, but to be perfectly honest here, again, I
think relative to the planes we should have given them, the
most advanced technology, and I would encourage us to do that
as quickly as possible in that area. I'll yield to the
gentleman from California.
Mr. Royce. I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding. I
wanted to add my support for some of the points that Mr. Berman
made about the F-16 sales. In the administration's reluctance
to engage and follow through on those sales, I think that that
is a necessary credible deterrent. I think we have certain
responsibilities here that need to be fulfilled. I hope we can
return to this issue; we find an avenue to do it because we
have not taken the steps necessary to really send that message
and create that credible deterrence. Thank you.
Mr. Chabot. I'll yield back.
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you so much and I want to
thank the members and the staff on both sides of the aisle for
the good work and the cooperation that went into these bills in
today's markup. Having concluding our business, the committee
is adjourned. Thank you gentleman and ladies.
[Whereupon, at 10:25 a.m., the markup was concluded.]
A P P E N D I X
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Material Submitted for the Hearing RecordNotice deg.
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