Tracking Number: 426833
Title: "3/7 Version of Defense of Taiwan Resolution."
Eleven members of Congress held a press conference to discuss a resolution that recommends US military forces defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion, missile attack or blockade by the People's Republic of China. (960312)
Date: 19960312
Text:
TEXT: 3/7 VERSION OF DEFENSE OF TAIWAN RESOLUTION
(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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File Identification: 03/12/96, EPF203; 03/12/96, EUR213; 03/13/96, AXF303
Product Name: Wireless File
Product Code: WF
Keywords: TAIWAN-US RELATIONS; CHINA-TAIWAN
RELATIONS; CHINA-US RELATIONS; LEGISLATION; CLINTON, BILL/Foreign Relations: East Asia & Pacific; CONGRESS, US
Document Type: TXT
Thematic Codes: 1EA
Target Areas: EA; EU
PDQ Text
Link: 426833
USIA Notes: *96031203.EPF
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