In the Senate of the United States,
March 21, 1996.
Resolved, That the resolution from the House of Rep-
resentatives (H. Con. Res. 148) entitled ‘‘Concurrent resolu-
tion expressing the sense of the Congress that the United
States is committed to military stability in the Taiwan Strait
and the United States should assist in defending the Republic
of China (also known as Taiwan) in the event of invasion,
missile attack, or blockade by the People’s Republic of
China.’’, do pass with the following
AMENDMENTS
Strike out all after the resolving clause, and insert:
That it is the sense of the Congress—
(1) to deplore the missile tests and military exer-
cises that the People’s Republic of China is conduct-
ing from March 8 through March 25, 1996, and view
such tests and exercises as potentially serious threats
to the peace, security, and stability of Taiwan and
not in the spirit of the three United States-China
Joint Communique´s;
(2) to urge the Government of the People’s Re-
public of China to cease its bellicose actions directed
HCON 148 EAS
at Taiwan and enter instead into meaningful dia-
logue with the Government of Taiwan at the highest
levels, such as through the Straits Exchange Founda-
tion in Taiwan and the Association for Relations
Across the Taiwan Strait in Beijing, with an eye to-
wards decreasing tensions and resolving the issue of
the future of Taiwan;
(3) that the President should, consistent with sec-
tion 3(c) of the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 (22
U.S.C. 3302(c)), immediately consult with Congress
on an appropriate United States response to the tests
and exercises should the tests or exercises pose an ac-
tual threat to the peace, security, and stability of Tai-
wan;
(4) that the President should, consistent with the
Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 (22 U.S.C. 3301 et
seq.), reexamine the nature and quantity of defense
articles and services that may be necessary to enable
Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capabil-
ity in light of the heightened military threat; and
(5) that the Government of Taiwan should re-
main committed to the peaceful resolution of its fu-
ture relations with the People’s Republic of China by
mutual decision.
HCON 148 EAS
Strike out the preamble, and insert:
Whereas the People’s Republic of China, in a clear attempt
to intimidate the people and Government of Taiwan,
has over the past 9 months conducted a series of mili-
tary exercises, including missile tests, within alarm-
ingly close proximity to Taiwan;
Whereas from March 8 through March 15, 1996, the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China conducted a series of missile
tests within 25 to 35 miles of the 2 principal northern
and southern ports of Taiwan, Kaohsiung and
Keelung;
Whereas on March 12, 1996, the People’s Republic of
China began an 8-day, live-ammunition, joint sea-
and-air military exercise in a 2,390 square mile area
in the southern Taiwan Strait;
Whereas on March 18, 1996, the People’s Republic of
China began a 7-day, live-ammunition, joint sea-and-
air military exercise between Taiwan’s islands of
Matsu and Wuchu;
Whereas these tests and exercises are a clear escalation of
the attempts by the People’s Republic of China to in-
timidate Taiwan and influence the outcome of the up-
coming democratic presidential election in Taiwan;
Whereas through the administrations of Presidents Nixon,
Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush, the United States
has adhered to a ‘‘One China’’ policy and, during the
administration of President Clinton, the United States
continues to adhere to the ‘‘One China’’ policy based
on the Shanghai Communique´ of February 27, 1972,
the Joint Communique´ on the Establishment of Diplo-
matic Relations Between the United States of America
HCON 148 EAS
and the People’s Republic of China of January 1,
1979, and the United States-China Joint Communique´
of August 17, 1982;
Whereas through the administrations of Presidents Carter,
Reagan, and Bush, the United States has adhered to
the provisions of the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 (22
U.S.C. 3301 et seq.) as the basis for continuing com-
mercial, cultural, and other relations between the peo-
ple of the United States and the people of Taiwan
and, during the administration of President Clinton,
the United States continues to adhere to the provisions
of the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979;
Whereas relations between the United States and the Peo-
ples’ Republic of China rest upon the expectation that
the future of Taiwan will be settled solely by peaceful
means;
Whereas the strong interest of the United States in the
peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question is one of
the central premises of the three United States-China
Joint Communique´s and was codified in the Taiwan
Relations Act of 1979;
Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 states that
peace and stability in the western Pacific ‘‘are in the
political, security, and economic interests of the Unit-
ed States, and are matters of international concern’’;
Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 states that the
United States considers ‘‘any effort to determine the
future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means, in-
cluding by boycotts, or embargoes, a threat to the
peace and security of the western Pacific area and of
grave concern to the United States’’;
HCON 148 EAS
Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 directs the
President to ‘‘inform Congress promptly of any threat
to the security or the social or economic system of the
people on Taiwan and any danger to the interests of
the United States arising therefrom’’;
Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 further directs
that ‘‘the President and the Congress shall determine,
in accordance with constitutional process, appropriate
action by the United States in response to any such
danger’’;
Whereas the United States, the People’s Republic of China,
and the Government of Taiwan have each previously
expressed their commitment to the resolution of the
Taiwan question through peaceful means; and
Whereas these missile tests and military exercises, and the
accompanying statements made by the Government of
the People’s Republic of China, call into serious ques-
tion the commitment of China to the peaceful resolu-
tion of the Taiwan question: Now, therefore, be it.
Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘Expressing the sense
of Congress regarding missile tests and military exercises
by the People’s Republic of China.’’.
Attest:
Secretary.