II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1051 

To encourage visits between the United States and Taiwan at all levels, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 4, 2017 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mr. BROWN, Mr. GARDNER, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. 

MENENDEZ, and Mr. PETERS) introduced the following bill; which was 

read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To encourage visits between the United States and Taiwan 

at all levels, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Taiwan Travel Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

6 Congress makes the following findings: 

7 (1) The Taiwan Relations Act (22 U.S.C. 3301 

8 et seq.), enacted in 1979, has continued for 37 years 

9 to be the cornerstone of relations between the 

10 United States and Taiwan and has served as an anVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:33 May 10, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1051.IS S1051

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1 chor for peace and security in the Western Pacific 

2 area. 

3 (2) The Taiwan Relations Act declares that 

4 peace and stability in the Western Pacific area are 

5 in the political, security, and economic interests of 

6 the United States and are matters of international 

7 concern. 

8 (3) The United States considers any effort to 

9 determine the future of Taiwan by other than peace10 ful means, including by boycotts or embargoes, a 

11 threat to the peace and security of the Western Pa12 cific and of grave concern to the United States. 

13 (4) Taiwan has succeeded in a momentous tran14 sition to democracy beginning in the late 1980s and 

15 has been a beacon of democratic practices in Asia, 

16 and Taiwan’s democratic achievements inspire many 

17 countries and people in the region. 

18 (5) Visits to a country by United States cabinet 

19 members and other high-ranking officials are an in20 dicator of the breadth and depth of ties between the 

21 United States and that country. 

22 (6) Since the enactment of the Taiwan Rela23 tions Act, relations between the United States and 

24 Taiwan have suffered from insufficient high-level 

25 communication due to the self-imposed restrictions 


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1 that the United States maintains on high-level visits 

2 with Taiwan. 

3 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS; STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

4 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con5 gress that the United States Government should not place 

6 any restrictions on the travel of officials at any level of 

7 the United States Government to Taiwan to meet their 

8 Taiwanese counterparts or on the travel of high-level offi9 cials of Taiwan to enter the United States to meet with 

10 officials of the United States. 

11 (b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It should be the policy 

12 of the United States— 

13 (1) to allow officials at all levels of the United 

14 States Government, including cabinet-level national 

15 security officials, general officers, and other execu16 tive branch officials, to travel to Taiwan to meet 

17 their Taiwanese counterparts; 

18 (2) to allow high-level officials of Taiwan to 

19 enter the United States, under conditions that dem20 onstrate appropriate respect for the dignity of such 

21 officials, and to meet with officials of the United 

22 States, including officials from the Department of 

23 State and the Department of Defense and other cab24 inet agencies; and 


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1 (3) to encourage the Taipei Economic and Cul2 tural Representative Office, and any other instru3 mentality established by Taiwan, to conduct business 

4 in the United States, including activities that involve 

5 participation by Members of Congress, officials of 

6 Federal, State, or local governments of the United 

7 States, or any high-level official of Taiwan. 

8 SEC. 4. AUTHORITY. 

9 Officials at all levels of the United States Govern10 ment, including cabinet-level national security officials, 

11 general officers, and other executive branch officials, are 

12 hereby authorized to travel to Taiwan to meet their Tai13 wanese counterparts. 

14 SEC. 5. SEMIANNUAL REPORTS. 

15 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact16 ment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the Sec17 retary of State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign 

18 Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign 

19 Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on travel 

20 by United States executive branch officials to Taiwan. 

Æ 


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