II 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3397 

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

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 27, 2016 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mr. INHOFE, and Mr. GARDNER) 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 04:09 Sep 28, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3397.IS S3397

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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 a lack of communication 


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1 due to the self-imposed restrictions that the United 

2 States maintains on high-level visits with Taiwan. 

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

4 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con5 gress that— 

6 (1) the United States Government should en7 courage visits between the United States and Tai8 wan at all levels; and 

9 (2) the United States Government must not 

10 place any restrictions on the travel of officials at any 

11 level of the United States Government to Taiwan to 

12 meet their Taiwanese counterparts or on the travel 

13 of high-level officials of Taiwan to enter the United 

14 States to meet with officials of the United States. 

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

16 of the United States— 

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

18 States Government, including cabinet-level national 

19 security officials, general officers, and other execu20 tive branch officials, to travel to Taiwan to meet 

21 their Taiwanese counterparts; 

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

23 enter the United States, under conditions which 

24 demonstrate appropriate respect for the dignity of 

25 such officials, and to meet with officials of the 


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1 United States, including officials from the Depart2 ment of State and the Department of Defense and 

3 other cabinet agencies; and 

4 (3) to permit the Taipei Economic and Cultural 

5 Representative Office, and any other instrumentality 

6 established by Taiwan, to conduct business in the 

7 United States, including activities that involve par8 ticipation by Members of Congress, officials of Fed9 eral, State, or local governments of the United 

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

Æ 


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