ACCESSION NUMBER:00000
FILE ID:96031203.EEA
DATE:03/12/96
TITLE:12-03-96 TEXT: 3/7 VERSION OF DEFENSE OF TAIWAN RESOLUTION
TEXT:
(3/12 press briefing on H.Con.Res. 148) (1480)
Washington -- Eleven members of Congress held a bipartisan press
conference March 12 to discuss House Concurrent Resolution 148
(H.Con.Res. 148), a resolution that recommends U.S. military forces
defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion, missile attack, or blockade
by the People's Republic of China.
Rep. Christopher Cox, the sponsor of the resolution, said that the
purpose of the legislation was twofold: one, to urge the Clinton
administration to take action on the Taiwan issue, and two, to give
the President "a free hand in speaking both formally and informally"
with the Chinese government.
"It is very, very important that the president be understood abroad to
be backed up by the Congress," Cox said. "As a result of this
resolution, when the President of the United States sends two aircraft
carriers to the Taiwan Straits, as the president is doing, we hope
that Beijing understands that the Congress fully backs him up in
this."
According to Cox, the resolution currently has more than 100
co-sponsors, including House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Republican of
Georgia), House Majority Leader Richard Armey (Republican of Texas),
House Majority Whip Thomas DeLay (Republican of Texas), House
International Relations Committee Chairman Benjamin Gilman (Republican
of New York), and House International Relations Subcommittee on Asia
and the Pacific Chairman Douglas Bereuter (Republican of Nebraska).
The measure was sponsored by Cox and officially introduced March 7.
The legislation is scheduled to go to the House International
Relations Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific for markup March 13,
and the full House International Relations Committee March 14. House
members said they anticipate the resolution will go to the full floor
for debate next week.
Following is the text of the March 7 version of H.Con.Res. 148 as it
appeared in the Congressional Record:
(begin official text)
104th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 148
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States is
committed to the military stability of the Taiwan Straits and United
States military forces should defend Taiwan in the event of invasion,
missile attack, or blockade by the People's Republic of China.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 7, 1996
Mr. COX of California (for himself, Mr. GILMAN, Mr. SPENCE, Mr.
GINGRICH, Mr. ARMEY, Mr. DELAY, Mr. BOEHNER, Ms. MOLINARI, Mrs.
VUCANOVICH, Mr. NUSSLE, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. SOLOMON, Mr. TORRICELLI, Mr.
DEUTSCH, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. BAKER of California, Mr. BALLENGER, Mr.
BARTON of Texas, Mr. BEREUTER, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. BONO, Mr. BREWSTER,
Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. BUNNING of Kentucky, Mr.
BURTON of Indiana, Mr. BUYER, Mr. CALVERT, Mr. CAMPBELL, Mr. CHABOT,
Mr. CHAMBLISS, Mrs. CHENOWETH, Mr. CLINGER, Mr. COLLINS of Georgia,
Mr. CONDIT, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. DORNAN, Mr. ENGLISH of
Pennsylvania, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. EWING, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. FOLEY, Mr.
FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. FUNDERBURK, Mr. PETE GEREN of Texas, Mr. GILMOR,
Mr. GOODLING, Mr. GOSS, Mr. GREENWOOD, Mr. GUTKNECHT, Mr. HASTERT, Mr.
HASTINGS of Washington, Mr. HYDE, Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Mr.
KINGSTON, Mr. KNOLLENBERG, Mr. KOLBE, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. MCINNIS, Mr.
MCINTOSH, Mr. MCKEON, Mr. METCALF, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. PAYNE of
New Jersey, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. PORTER, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN,
Mr. ROYCE, Mr. SALMON, Mr. SCARBOROUGH, Mrs. SEASTRAND, Mr. SMITH of
New Jersey, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. STEARNS, Mr. TALENT, Mr. TORKILDSEN, Mr.
UNDERWOOD, Mr. WALKER, Mr. WELDON of Florida, Mr. WELLER, and Mr.
ZIMMER) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on International Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States is
committed to the military stability of the Taiwan Straits and United
States military forces should defend Taiwan in the event of invasion,
missile attack, or blockade by the People's Republic of China.
Whereas the United States began its long, peaceful, and friendly
relationship with the Republic of China on Taiwan in 1949;
Whereas since the enactment in 1979 of the Taiwan Relations Act, the
policy of the United States has been based on the expectation that the
future relationship between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan
will be determined by peaceful means and by mutual agreement between
the parties;
Whereas the People's Republic of China's intense efforts to intimidate
Taiwan have reached a level that threatens to undermine stability
throughout the region;
Whereas, since the beginning of 1996, the leaders of the People's
Republic of China have frequently and unambiguously threatened to use
military force against Taiwan;
Whereas for the past year the People's Republic of China has conducted
military maneuvers designed to intimidate Taiwan both during its
democratic legislative elections in 1995 and during the period
preceding democratic presidential elections in March 1996;
Whereas these military maneuvers and tests have included the firing of
6 nuclear-capable missiles approximately 100 miles north of Taiwan in
July 1995;
Whereas it has been reported that officials of the People's Republic
of China have stated that they have developed plans to attack Taiwan
with missiles for up to 30 days;
Whereas it has been reported that the People's Republic of China
sought to intimidate the United States with veiled threats to launch a
nuclear attack against the United States should the United States
assist Taiwan in defending itself from attack;
Whereas the firing of missiles across the Taiwan Straits, an
international waterway, threatens both Taiwan and the political,
military, and commercial interests of the United States and its
allies;
Whereas in the face of such action, Taiwan is entitled to defend
itself from military aggression, including through the development of
an anti-ballistic missile defense system;
Whereas the United States and Taiwan have enjoyed a longstanding and
uninterrupted friendship, which has only increased in light of the
remarkable economic development and political liberalization in Taiwan
in recent years;
Whereas Taiwan has achieved tremendous economic success in becoming
the 19th largest economy in the world;
Whereas Taiwan has reached a historic turning point in the development
of Chinese democracy, as on March 23, 1996, it will conduct the first
competitive, free, fair, direct, and popular election of a head of
state in over 4,000 years of recorded Chinese history;
Whereas for the past century the United States has promoted democracy
and economic freedom around the world, and the evolution of Taiwan is
an outstanding example of the success of that policy;
Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act directs the President to inform the
Congress promptly of any threat to Taiwan's security and provides that
the President and the Congress together shall determine appropriate
United States action in response; and
Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 rests on the premise that the
United States will assist Taiwan should it face any effort to
determine its future by other than peaceful means, including by
boycotts or embargoes: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That
it is the sense of the Congress that--
(1) the People's Republic of China--
(A) should reaffirm the commitment it made to the United States that
it would conduct its relations with Taiwan by peaceful means; and
(B) should engage in diplomatic negotiations to discuss any
outstanding points of disagreement with Taiwan without any threat of
military or economic coercion against Taiwan;
(2) the People's Republic of China should immediately live up to its
commitment to the United States to work for a peaceful resolution of
any disagreements with Taiwan, and accordingly desist from military
actions designed to intimidate Taiwan;
(3) Taiwan has stated and should adhere to its commitment to negotiate
its future relations with the mainland by mutual, not unilateral,
decision;
(4) the United States should maintain its commitment to resist any
resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the
security, or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan,
consistent with its undertakings in the Taiwan Relations Act;
(5) the United States should maintain a naval presence sufficient to
keep open the sea lanes in and near the Taiwan Straits;
(6) in the face of the several overt military threats by the People's
Republic of China against Taiwan, and consistent with the commitment
of the United States under the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States
should supply Taiwan with defensive weapons systems, including naval
vessels, aircraft, and air defense, all of which are crucial to the
security of Taiwan; and
(7) the United States, in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act and
the constitutional process of the United States, and consistent with
its friendship with and commitment to the democratic government and
people of Taiwan, should assist in defending them against invasion,
missile attack, or blockade by the People's Republic of China.
(end official text)
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