IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 248 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States 

One-China Policy does not commit it to the People’s Republic of China’s 

One-China Principle, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 21, 2019 

Mr. CHABOT submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the United States One-China Policy does not commit 

it to the People’s Republic of China’s One-China Principle, and for other purposes. 

Whereas officials of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) 

routinely state the PRC’s One-China Principle as, ‘‘There 

is only one China in the world. The Government of the 

People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government 

representing the whole of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.’’ ; 

Whereas the People’s Republic of China actively seeks to assert its One-China Principle over any other position on 

Taiwan’s status, including over the United States OneChina Policy, by waging a global campaign to persuade 


khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HRES 248 IH 

or force governments, international organizations, and 

private corporations to refer to Taiwan as a part of 

China; 

Whereas since Taiwan voters’ election of President Tsai-Ing 

Wen of the Democratic Progressive Party, the PRC has 

dramatically increased its efforts to isolate Taiwan from 

participation in the international community; 

Whereas the PRC has actively sought to exclude Taiwan from 

participation at the World Health Organization and other 

international organizations since President Tsai’s election; 

Whereas the United Nations has routinely and erroneously 

interpreted United Nations General Assembly Resolution 

2758 (1971) by referring to Taiwan as ‘‘Taiwan Province 

of China’’, presuming resolution of Taiwan’s status; 

Whereas, in 2016, the Director-General of the World Health 

Organization (WHO) invited Taiwan to attend the annual World Health Assembly as an observer on the basis 

of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, 

which she interpreted as reflecting the PRC’s One-China 

Principle; 

Whereas the WHO, the World Bank, and other international 

organizations continue to refer to Taiwan as ‘‘Taiwan, 

China’’; 

Whereas, since 2016, the Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, 

Panama, the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, and El 

Salvador chose to recognize the PRC’s One-China Principle after switching diplomatic relations from Taipei to 

Beijing; 


khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HRES 248 IH 

Whereas the PRC continues to seek to coerce private companies around the world to refer to Taiwan as a part of 

China; 

Whereas the PRC has insisted on acceptance of its OneChina Principle being a precondition to engagement with 

Taiwan on resolution of their differences; 

Whereas in a speech on January 2, 2019, marking the anniversary of the People’s Republic of China’s 1979 ‘‘Message to Compatriots in Taiwan’’, PRC President Xi 

Jinping stated, ‘‘The development process of cross-Strait 

relations has proved: No one and no forces can change 

the historical and legal facts that Taiwan is a part of 

China and two sides of the Strait belong to one China!’’; 

Whereas President Xi also stated that ‘‘The longstanding political differences between the two sides of the Strait are 

the major causes that prevent cross-Strait relations from 

proceeding steadily. This should not be passed down generation after generation.’’, thereby implying a deadline 

for unification of Taiwan with the PRC; 

Whereas President Xi further asserted, ‘‘We make no promise to renounce the use of force and reserve the option 

of taking all necessary means . . . [against] ‘Taiwan 

independence’ separatists’’; 

Whereas President Xi also held out a ‘‘one country, two systems’’ model for Taiwan’s adoption and promised that 

under such an arrangement, ‘‘the social system and life 

styles of Taiwan compatriots will be fully respected after 

the peaceful unification, and the private property, religious beliefs, and legitimate rights and interests of Taiwan compatriots will be fully guaranteed’’; 


khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HRES 248 IH 

Whereas over 75 percent of the people of Taiwan do not support a ‘‘one country, two systems’’ model; 

Whereas Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen stated in response 

to President Xi’s speech that ‘‘Taiwan absolutely will not 

accept ‘one country, two systems’ . . .’’; 

Whereas Taiwan has transitioned into a fully functioning democracy since 1996, when the island held its first direct 

Presidential election; 

Whereas the PRC’s persistent and increasing authoritarianism and Taiwan’s consolidation of its democracy place 

the PRC and Taiwan on divergent paths and make unification less likely; 

Whereas the Chinese Communist Party is responsible for this 

state of affairs as it has prevented the people of mainland 

China from developing a representative democracy while 

the Government of Taiwan has allowed the people of Taiwan to develop a flourishing democracy; 

Whereas an overwhelming majority of the people of Taiwan 

favor the status quo in the Taiwan Strait in which Taiwan is not part of the PRC; 

Whereas the United States One-China Policy is based on full 

implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act and on joint 

communique ́s negotiated with the PRC in 1972, 1978, 

and 1982, with a focus on peaceful resolution of Taiwan’s 

status; 

Whereas, consequently, the United States One-China Policy 

is not the PRC’s One-China Principle; 

Whereas in the Three Joint Communique ́s, the United States 

only acknowledged, without endorsing, the PRC’s claim 

that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China; 


khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HRES 248 IH 

Whereas, on April 10, 1979, the Taiwan Relations Act (Public Law 96–8) was enacted into law; 

Whereas pursuant to the Taiwan Relations Act, ‘‘It is the 

policy of the United States— 

‘‘(1) to preserve and promote extensive, close, and 

friendly commercial, cultural, and other relations between 

the people of the United States and the people on Taiwan, as well as the people on the China mainland and all 

other peoples of the Western Pacific area; 

‘‘(2) to declare that peace and stability in the area 

are in the political, security, and economic interests of 

the United States, and are matters of international concern; 

‘‘(3) to make clear that the United States decision 

to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China rests upon the expectation that the future of 

Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means; 

‘‘(4) to consider any effort to determine the future 

of Taiwan by other than peaceful means, including by 

boycotts or embargoes, a threat to the peace and security 

of the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to the 

United States; 

‘‘(5) to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive 

character; and 

‘‘(6) to maintain the capacity of the United States 

to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion 

that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan;’’; 

Whereas, in 2018, the Taiwan Travel Act (Public Law 115– 

135) was enacted into law, and its passage expressed the 

sense of Congress that ‘‘the United States Government 


khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
6 

•HRES 248 IH 

should encourage visits between officials from the United 

States and Taiwan at all levels’’; 

Whereas pursuant to the Taiwan Travel Act, ‘‘it should be 

the policy of the United States to— 

‘‘(1) allow officials at all levels of the United States 

Government, including Cabinet-level national security officials, general officers, and other executive branch officials, to travel to Taiwan to meet their Taiwanese counterparts; [and] 

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

United States, under conditions which demonstrate appropriate respect for the dignity of such officials, and to 

meet with officials of the United States, including officials from the Department of State and the Department 

of Defense and other Cabinet agencies’’; 

Whereas implementation of the Taiwan Travel Act is not a 

violation of United States policy and would ‘‘preserve and 

promote extensive, close, and friendly commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people of the 

United States and the people on Taiwan’’, as called for 

by the Taiwan Relations Act; 

Whereas it is in the United States national interest to see to 

it that resolution of the status of Taiwan is peaceful and 

respectful of Taiwan’s thriving democracy as well as that 

until such a peaceful resolution is achieved, the status 

quo in the Taiwan Strait in which Taiwan exists as a 

self-governing democracy is maintained; and 

Whereas the PRC’s One-China Principle does not reflect the 

objective state of affairs that the Taiwan Government 

represents a self-governing democracy of 23.6 million 

people: Now, therefore, be it 


khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
7 

•HRES 248 IH 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) it encourages both sides of the Taiwan 

4 Strait to carry out constructive dialogue without pre5 conditions; 

6 (2) it encourages visits between officials from 

7 the United States and Taiwan at all levels; 

8 (3) other countries and international organiza9 tions should refrain from acquiescing to the PRC’s 

10 One-China Principle; 

11 (4) private companies should rebuff efforts by 

12 the PRC to enforce its One-China Principle and that 

13 such companies that do business in the United 

14 States should report such efforts to the Secretary of 

15 State; and 

16 (5) the United States should counter the Peo17 ple’s Republic of China’s One-China Principle cam18 paign by adopting the following policy toward Tai19 wan: 

20 (A) The United States recognizes the ob21 jective reality that the Taiwan Government le22 gitimately represents a democracy of 23.6 mil23 lion people. 

24 (B) The United States will seek to ensure 

25 any resolution of the future of Taiwan is underVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:21 Mar 25, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR248.IH HR248

khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
8 

•HRES 248 IH 

1 taken peacefully and with the active assent of 

2 the people of Taiwan, pursuant to United 

3 States policy as adopted in the Taiwan Rela4 tions Act and the political, security, and eco5 nomic interests of the United States described 

6 therein. 

Æ 


khammond on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS