IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 927 

Declaring that it shall continue to be the policy of the United States, consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, to make available to Taiwan 

such defense articles and services as may be necessary for Taiwan to 

maintain a sufficient self-defense capability. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 19, 2009 

Mr. BARTON of Texas submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Declaring that it shall continue to be the policy of the United 

States, consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, to 

make available to Taiwan such defense articles and services as may be necessary for Taiwan to maintain a 

sufficient self-defense capability. 

Whereas April 10, 2009, marked the 30th anniversary of the 

enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act (Public Law 96– 

8), codifying in law the basis for continued commercial, 

cultural, and other relations between the United States 

and the Taiwan; 

Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act, as the cornerstone of 

United States-Taiwan relations, has been instrumental in 

maintaining peace, security, and stability in the Taiwan 

Strait since its enactment in 1979, when the United 


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•HRES 927 IH 

States extended diplomatic recognition to the People’s 

Republic of China; 

Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act specifies that it is United 

States policy to consider any non-peaceful means to determine Taiwan’s future ‘‘a threat’’ to the peace and security of the Western Pacific and of ‘‘grave concern’’ to 

the United States, ‘‘to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character’’ and ‘‘to maintain the capacity of the 

United States to resist any resort to force or other forms 

of coercion’’ jeopardizing the security, or social or economic system of Taiwan’s people; 

Whereas section 3(a) of the Taiwan Relations Act states that 

‘‘the United States will make available to Taiwan such 

defense articles and defense services 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 stipulates 

that both the President and the Congress shall determine 

the nature and quantity of such defense articles and services ‘‘based solely’’ upon their judgment of the needs of 

Taiwan; 

Whereas Taiwan’s 2007 defense budget included approximately $488,000,000 to begin the process of procuring 

66 new United States-origin F–16C/D fighters, pending 

United States price and availability data; 

Whereas the Taiwanese Defense Ministry has requested and 

the Executive Yuan approved in August 2007 a 2008 defense budget that includes approximately $764,000,000 

for the second year’s budget for F–16C/D fighters; 

Whereas the 2009 Pentagon Report on the Military Power of 

the People’s Republic of China stated that ‘‘The PLA’s 


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•HRES 927 IH 

modernization vis-a`-vis Taiwan has continued over the 

past year, including its build-up of short-range missiles 

opposite the island’’, and that ‘‘In the near-term, China’s 

armed forces are rapidly developing coercive capabilities 

for the purpose of deterring Taiwan’s pursuit of de jure 

independence’’; 

Whereas the report added that ‘‘These same capabilities 

could in the future be used to pressure Taiwan toward 

a settlement of the cross-Strait dispute on Beijing’s 

terms while simultaneously attempting to deter, delay, or 

deny any possible U.S. support for the island in case of 

conflict’’; and 

Whereas the Director of National Intelligence, Admiral Dennis Blair, in the 2009 Annual threat Assessment of the 

Intelligence Community for the Senate Select Committee 

on Intelligence, stated that ‘‘Preparations for a possible 

Taiwan conflict continue to drive the modernization goals 

of the People’s Liberation Army and the Chinese defenseindustrial complex’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That— 

2 (1) it shall continue to be the policy of the 

3 United States, consistent with the Taiwan Relations 

4 Act, to make available to Taiwan such defense arti5 cles and services as may be necessary for Taiwan to 

6 maintain a sufficient self-defense capability; and 

7 (2) the United States should determine the na8 ture and quantity of such defense articles and servVerDate Nov 24 2008 03:29 Nov 20, 2009 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR927.IH HR927

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•HRES 927 IH 

1 ices ‘‘based solely’’ upon the legitimate defense needs 

2 of Taiwan. 

Æ 


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