III

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
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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;
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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 Con-
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gress 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

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—

3 (1) the People’s Republic of China—

4 (A) should reaffirm the commitment it

5 made to the United States that it would con6 duct its relations with Taiwan by peaceful

7 means; and

8 (B) should engage in diplomatic negotia9 tions to discuss any outstanding points of dis10 agreement with Taiwan without any threat of

11 military or economic coercion against Taiwan;

12 (2) the People’s Republic of China should im13 mediately live up to its commitment to the United

14 States to work for a peaceful resolution of any dis15 agreements with Taiwan, and accordingly desist

16 from military actions designed to intimidate Taiwan;

17 (3) Taiwan has stated and should adhere to its

18 commitment to negotiate its future relations with

19 the mainland by mutual, not unilateral, decision;
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1 (4) the United States should maintain its com2 mitment to resist any resort to force or other forms

3 of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the

4 social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan,

5 consistent with its undertakings in the Taiwan Rela6 tions Act;

7 (5) the United States should maintain a naval

8 presence sufficient to keep open the sea lanes in and

9 near the Taiwan Straits;

10 (6) in the face of the several overt military

11 threats by the People’s Republic of China against

12 Taiwan, and consistent with the commitment of the

13 United States under the Taiwan Relations Act, the

14 United States should supply Taiwan with defensive

15 weapons systems, including naval vessels, aircraft,

16 and air defense, all of which are crucial to the secu17 rity of Taiwan; and

18 (7) the United States, in accordance with the

19 Taiwan Relations Act and the constitutional process

20 of the United States, and consistent with its friend21 ship with and commitment to the democratic govern22 ment and people of Taiwan, should assist in defend23 ing them against invasion, missile attack, or block24 ade by the People’s Republic of China.

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