IIB 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 535 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 10, 2018 

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

AN ACT 

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, 


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HR 535 RFS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds the following: 

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

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

7 to be a cornerstone of relations between the United 

8 States and Taiwan and has served as an anchor for 

9 peace and security in the Western Pacific area. 

10 (2) The Taiwan Relations Act declares that 

11 peace and stability in the Western Pacific area are 

12 in the political, security, and economic interests of 

13 the United States and are matters of international 

14 concern. 

15 (3) The United States considers any effort to 

16 determine the future of Taiwan by other than peace17 ful means, including by boycotts or embargoes, a 

18 threat to the peace and security of the Western Pa19 cific area and of grave concern to the United States. 

20 (4) Taiwan has succeeded in a momentous tran21 sition to democracy beginning in the late 1980s and 

22 has been a beacon of democracy in Asia, and Tai23 wan’s democratic achievements inspire many coun24 tries and people in the region. 

25 (5) Visits to a country by United States Cabi26 net members and other high-ranking officials are an 


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1 indicator of the breadth and depth of ties between 

2 the United States and such country. 

3 (6) Since the enactment of the Taiwan Rela4 tions Act, relations between the United States and 

5 Taiwan have suffered from insufficient high-level 

6 communication due to the self-imposed restrictions 

7 that the United States maintains on high-level visits 

8 with Taiwan. 

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

10 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con11 gress that the United States Government should encour12 age visits between officials from the United States and 

13 Taiwan at all levels. 

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

15 of the United States to— 

16 (1) allow officials at all levels of the United 

17 States Government, including Cabinet-level national 

18 security officials, general officers, and other execu19 tive branch officials, to travel to Taiwan to meet 

20 their Taiwanese counterparts; 

21 (2) allow high-level officials of Taiwan to enter 

22 the United States, under conditions which dem23 onstrate appropriate respect for the dignity of such 

24 officials, and to meet with officials of the United 

25 States, including officials from the Department of 


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HR 535 RFS

1 State and the Department of Defense and other 

2 Cabinet agencies; and 

3 (3) encourage the Taipei Economic and Cul4 tural Representative Office, and any other instru5 mentality established by Taiwan, to conduct business 

6 in the United States, including activities which in7 volve participation by Members of Congress, officials 

8 of Federal, State, or local governments of the United 

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

Passed the House of Representatives January 9, 

2018. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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