In the Senate of the United States,

March 21, 1996.

Resolved, That the resolution from the House of Representatives (H. Con. Res. 148) entitled ‘‘Concurrent resolution expressing the sense of the Congress that the United

States is committed to military stability in the Taiwan Strait

and the United States should assist in defending the Republic

of China (also known as Taiwan) in the event of invasion,

missile attack, or blockade by the People’s Republic of

China.’’, do pass with the following

AMENDMENTS

Strike out all after the resolving clause, and insert:

1 That it is the sense of the Congress—

2 (1) to deplore the missile tests and military exer3 cises that the People’s Republic of China is conduct4 ing from March 8 through March 25, 1996, and view

5 such tests and exercises as potentially serious threats

6 to the peace, security, and stability of Taiwan and

7 not in the spirit of the three United States-China

8 Joint Communique ́s;

9 (2) to urge the Government of the People’s Re10 public of China to cease its bellicose actions directed
2

HCON 148 EAS

1 at Taiwan and enter instead into meaningful dia2 logue with the Government of Taiwan at the highest

3 levels, such as through the Straits Exchange Founda4 tion in Taiwan and the Association for Relations

5 Across the Taiwan Strait in Beijing, with an eye to6 wards decreasing tensions and resolving the issue of

7 the future of Taiwan;

8 (3) that the President should, consistent with sec9 tion 3(c) of the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 (22

10 U.S.C. 3302(c)), immediately consult with Congress

11 on an appropriate United States response to the tests

12 and exercises should the tests or exercises pose an ac13 tual threat to the peace, security, and stability of Tai14 wan;

15 (4) that the President should, consistent with the

16 Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 (22 U.S.C. 3301 et

17 seq.), reexamine the nature and quantity of defense

18 articles and services that may be necessary to enable

19 Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capabil20 ity in light of the heightened military threat; and

21 (5) that the Government of Taiwan should re22 main committed to the peaceful resolution of its fu23 ture relations with the People’s Republic of China by

24 mutual decision.
3

HCON 148 EAS

Strike out the preamble, and insert:

Whereas the People’s Republic of China, in a clear attempt

to intimidate the people and Government of Taiwan,

has over the past 9 months conducted a series of military exercises, including missile tests, within alarmingly close proximity to Taiwan;

Whereas from March 8 through March 15, 1996, the People’s Republic of China conducted a series of missile

tests within 25 to 35 miles of the 2 principal northern

and southern ports of Taiwan, Kaohsiung and

Keelung;

Whereas on March 12, 1996, the People’s Republic of

China began an 8-day, live-ammunition, joint seaand-air military exercise in a 2,390 square mile area

in the southern Taiwan Strait;

Whereas on March 18, 1996, the People’s Republic of

China began a 7-day, live-ammunition, joint sea-andair military exercise between Taiwan’s islands of

Matsu and Wuchu;

Whereas these tests and exercises are a clear escalation of

the attempts by the People’s Republic of China to intimidate Taiwan and influence the outcome of the upcoming democratic presidential election in Taiwan;

Whereas through the administrations of Presidents Nixon,

Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush, the United States

has adhered to a ‘‘One China’’ policy and, during the

administration of President Clinton, the United States

continues to adhere to the ‘‘One China’’ policy based

on the Shanghai Communique ́ of February 27, 1972,

the Joint Communique ́ on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between the United States of America
4

HCON 148 EAS

and the People’s Republic of China of January 1,

1979, and the United States-China Joint Communique ́

of August 17, 1982;

Whereas through the administrations of Presidents Carter,

Reagan, and Bush, the United States has adhered to

the provisions of the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 (22

U.S.C. 3301 et seq.) as the basis for continuing commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people of the United States and the people of Taiwan

and, during the administration of President Clinton,

the United States continues to adhere to the provisions

of the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979;

Whereas relations between the United States and the Peoples’ Republic of China rest upon the expectation that

the future of Taiwan will be settled solely by peaceful

means;

Whereas the strong interest of the United States in the

peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question is one of

the central premises of the three United States-China

Joint Communique ́s and was codified in the Taiwan

Relations Act of 1979;

Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 states that

peace and stability in the western Pacific ‘‘are in the

political, security, and economic interests of the United States, and are matters of international concern’’;

Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 states that the

United States considers ‘‘any effort to determine the

future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means, including by boycotts, or embargoes, a threat to the

peace and security of the western Pacific area and of

grave concern to the United States’’;
5

HCON 148 EAS

Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 directs the

President to ‘‘inform Congress promptly of any threat

to the security or the social or economic system of the

people on Taiwan and any danger to the interests of

the United States arising therefrom’’;

Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 further directs

that ‘‘the President and the Congress shall determine,

in accordance with constitutional process, appropriate

action by the United States in response to any such

danger’’;

Whereas the United States, the People’s Republic of China,

and the Government of Taiwan have each previously

expressed their commitment to the resolution of the

Taiwan question through peaceful means; and

Whereas these missile tests and military exercises, and the

accompanying statements made by the Government of

the People’s Republic of China, call into serious question the commitment of China to the peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question: Now, therefore, be it.

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘Expressing the sense

of Congress regarding missile tests and military exercises

by the People’s Republic of China.’’.

Attest:

Secretary.
104TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 148

AMENDMENTS