106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 56

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the

Taiwan Relations Act.
106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 56

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Whereas April 10, 1999, will mark the 20th anniversary of

the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act, codifying in

public law the basis for continued commercial, cultural,

and other relations between the United States and Taiwan;

Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act was advanced by Congress

and supported by the executive branch as a critical tool
2

•HCON 56 EH

to preserve and promote ties the American people have

enjoyed with the people of Taiwan;

Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act has been instrumental in

maintaining peace, security, and stability in the Taiwan

Strait since its enactment in 1979;

Whereas when the Taiwan Relations Act was enacted in

1979, it affirmed that the United States decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of

China was based on the expectation that the future of

Taiwan would be determined by peaceful means;

Whereas officials of the People’s Republic of China refuse to

renounce the use of force against democratic Taiwan;

Whereas the defense modernization and weapons procurement

efforts by the People’s Republic of China, as documented

in the February 1, 1999, report by the Secretary of Defense on ‘‘The Security Situation in the Taiwan Strait’’,

could threaten cross-Strait stability and United States interests in the Asia-Pacific region;

Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act provides explicit guarantees that the United States will make available defense

articles and services necessary in such quantity as may

be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient

self-defense capability;

Whereas section 3(b) of the Taiwan Relations Act requires

timely reviews by United States military authorities of

Taiwan’s defense needs in connection with recommendations to the President and the Congress;

Whereas Congress and the President are committed by Article 3(b) of the Taiwan Relations Act to determine the nature and quantity of Taiwan’s legitimate self-defense

needs;
3

•HCON 56 EH

Whereas it is the policy of the United States to reject any

attempt to curb the provision by the United States of defense articles and services legitimately needed for Taiwan’s self-defense;

Whereas it is the policy set forth in the Taiwan Relations Act

to promote extensive commercial relations between the

people of the United States and the people of Taiwan and

such commercial relations would be further enhanced by

Taiwan’s membership in the World Trade Organization;

Whereas Taiwan today is a full-fledged multi-party democracy fully respecting human rights and civil liberties and

serves as a successful model of democratic reform for the

People’s Republic of China;

Whereas it is United States policy to promote extensive cultural relations with Taiwan, ties that should be further

encouraged and expanded;

Whereas any attempt to determine Taiwan’s future by other

than peaceful means, including boycotts or embargoes,

would be considered a threat to the peace and security

of the Western Pacific and of grave concern to the

United States;

Whereas in the spirit of the Taiwan Relations Act, which encourages the future of democratic Taiwan to be determined by peaceful means, Taiwan has engaged the People’s Republic of China in a cross-Strait dialogue by advocating that peaceful reunification be based on a democratic system of government being implemented on the

mainland; and

Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act established the American

Institute on Taiwan (AIT) to carry out the programs,

transactions, and other relations conducted or carried out
4

•HCON 56 EH

by the United States Government with respect to Taiwan

and AIT should be recognized for the successful role it

has played in sustaining and enhancing United States relations with Taiwan: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring),

3 That it is the sense of the Congress that—

4 (1) the United States should reaffirm its com5 mitment to the Taiwan Relations Act and the spe6 cific guarantees for the provision of legitimate de7 fense articles to Taiwan contained therein;

8 (2) the Congress has grave concerns over Chi9 na’s military modernization and weapons procure10 ment program, especially ballistic missile capability

11 and deployment that seem particularly directed to12 ward threatening Taiwan;

13 (3) the President should direct all appropriate

14 officials to raise these grave concerns about new

15 Chinese military threats to Taiwan with officials

16 from the People’s Republic of China;

17 (4) the President should seek from leaders of

18 the People’s Republic of China a public renunciation

19 of any use of force, or threat to use force, against

20 Taiwan;

21 (5) the President should provide annually a re22 port detailing the military balance on both sides of
5

•HCON 56 EH

1 the Taiwan Strait, including the impact of procure2 ment and modernization programs;

3 (6) the executive branch should inform the ap4 propriate committees of Congress when officials

5 from Taiwan seek to purchase defense articles for

6 self-defense;

7 (7) the United States Government should en8 courage a regional high-level dialogue on the best

9 means to ensure stability, peace, and freedom of the

10 seas in East Asia;

11 (8) the President should encourage further dia12 logue between democratic Taiwan and the People’s

13 Republic of China; and

14 (9) it should be United States policy in con15 formity with Article 4(d) of the Taiwan Relations

16 Act to publicly support Taiwan’s admission to the

17 World Trade Organization as soon as possible on its

18 own merits and encourage others to adopt similar

19 policies.

Passed the House of Representatives March 23,

1999.

Attest:

Clerk.