IIB 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1853 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 3, 2015 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

AN ACT 

To direct the President to develop a strategy to obtain observer status for Taiwan in the International Criminal 

Police Organization, 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, 


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HR 1853 RFS 

1 SECTION 1. PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE INTER2 NATIONAL CRIMINAL POLICE ORGANIZA3 TION. 

4 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find5 ings: 

6 (1) Safety, security and peace is important to 

7 every citizen of the world, and shared information 

8 ensuring wide assistance among police authorities of 

9 nations for expeditious dissemination of information 

10 regarding criminal activities greatly assists in these 

11 efforts. 

12 (2) Direct and unobstructed participation in the 

13 International Criminal Police Organization 

14 (INTERPOL) is beneficial for all nations and their 

15 police authorities. Internationally shared information 

16 with authorized police authorities is vital to peace17 keeping efforts. 

18 (3) With a history dating back to 1914, the role 

19 of INTERPOL is defined in its constitution: ‘‘To 

20 ensure and promote the widest possible mutual as21 sistance between all criminal police authorities with22 in the limits of the laws existing in the different 

23 countries and in the spirit of the Universal Declara24 tion of Human Rights.’’. 

25 (4) Ongoing international threats, including 

26 international networks of terrorism, show the ongoVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:12 Nov 03, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1853.RFS H1853

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1 ing necessity to be ever inclusive of nations willing 

2 to work together to combat criminal activity. The 

3 ability of police authorities to coordinate, preempt, 

4 and act swiftly and in unison is an essential element 

5 of crisis prevention and response. 

6 (5) Taiwan maintained full membership in 

7 INTERPOL starting in 1964 through its National 

8 Police Administration but was ejected in 1984 when 

9 the People’s Republic of China (PRC) applied for 

10 membership. 

11 (6) Nonmembership prevents Taiwan from 

12 gaining access to INTERPOL’s I–24/7 global police 

13 communications system, which provides real-time in14 formation on criminals and global criminal activities. 

15 Taiwan is relegated to second-hand information from 

16 friendly nations, including the United States. 

17 (7) Taiwan is unable to swiftly share informa18 tion on criminals and suspicious activity with the 

19 international community, leaving a huge void in the 

20 global crime-fighting efforts and leaving the entire 

21 world at risk. 

22 (8) The United States, in the 1994 Taiwan Pol23 icy Review, declared its intention to support Tai24 wan’s participation in appropriate international orVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:12 Nov 03, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1853.RFS H1853

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1 ganizations and has consistently reiterated that sup2 port. 

3 (9) Following the enactment of Public Law 

4 108–235, a law authorizing the Secretary of State to 

5 initiate and implement a plan to endorse and obtain 

6 observer status for Taiwan at the annual summit of 

7 the World Health Assembly and subsequent advo8 cacy by the United States, Taiwan was granted ob9 server status to the World Health Assembly for six 

10 consecutive years since 2009. Both prior to and in 

11 its capacity as an observer, Taiwan has contributed 

12 significantly to the international community’s collec13 tive efforts in pandemic control, monitoring, early 

14 warning, and other related matters. 

15 (10) INTERPOL’s constitution allows for ob16 servers at its meetings by ‘‘police bodies which are 

17 not members of the Organization’’. 

18 (b) TAIWAN’S PARTICIPATION IN INTERPOL.—The 

19 President shall— 

20 (1) develop a strategy to obtain observer status 

21 for Taiwan in INTERPOL and at other related 

22 meetings, activities, and mechanisms thereafter; and 

23 (2) instruct INTERPOL Washington to offi24 cially request observer status for Taiwan in 

25 INTERPOL and to actively urge INTERPOL memVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:12 Nov 03, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1853.RFS H1853

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1 ber states to support such observer status and par2 ticipation for Taiwan. 

3 (c) REPORT CONCERNING OBSERVER STATUS FOR

4 TAIWAN IN INTERPOL.—Not later than 30 days after 

5 the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 

6 transmit to Congress a report, in unclassified form, de7 scribing the United States strategy to endorse and obtain 

8 observer status for Taiwan in INTERPOL and at other 

9 related meetings, activities, and mechanisms thereafter. 

10 The report shall include the following: 

11 (1) A description of the efforts the President 

12 has made to encourage INTERPOL member states 

13 to promote Taiwan’s bid to obtain observer status in 

14 INTERPOL. 

15 (2) A description of the actions the President 

16 will take to endorse and obtain observer status for 

17 Taiwan in INTERPOL and at other related meet18 ings, activities, and mechanisms thereafter. 

Passed the House of Representatives November 2, 

2015. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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