IV
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 401
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding high-level visits by Taiwanese
officials to the United States.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 14, 2000
Mr. GEJDENSON (for himself, Mr. GILMAN, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. LANTOS,
Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. DEUTSCH, Mr.
SESSIONS, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. AN-
DREWS, Mr. BLILEY, Mr. SOUDER, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. WEXLER, Mr.
SCHAFFER, Mr. WU, Mr. CAMPBELL, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Ms. PELOSI, and
Mr. BILIRAKIS) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on International Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding high-level
visits by Taiwanese officials to the United States.
Whereas Taiwan is the seventh largest trading partner of the
United States and plays an important role in the econ-
omy of the Asia-Pacific region;
Whereas Taiwan routinely holds free and fair elections in a
multiparty system, as evidenced most recently by Tai-
wan’s second democratic presidential election of March
18, 2000, in which Mr. Chen Shui-bian was elected as
president of the 23,000,000 people of Taiwan;
•HCON 401 IH
Whereas Members of Congress, unlike executive branch offi-
cials, have long had the freedom to meet with leaders of
governments with which the United States does not have
formal relations—meetings which provide a vital oppor-
tunity to discuss issues of mutual concern that directly
affect United States national interests;
Whereas several Members of Congress expressed interest in
meeting with President Chen Shui-bian during his 16-
hour layover in Los Angeles, California, en route to Latin
America and Africa on August 13, 2000;
Whereas the meeting with President Chen did not take place
because of pressure from Washington and Beijing;
Whereas the Congress thereby lost the opportunity to com-
municate directly with President Chen about develop-
ments in the Asia-Pacific region and key elements of the
relationship between the United States and Taiwan when
he visited Los Angeles;
Whereas there could not be a more important time to find
opportunities to talk to Taiwan’s new leaders given the
enormous economic, security, and political interests we
share with both Taiwan and the People’s Republic of
China, as well as the results of the recent election in Tai-
wan which provided for the first party leadership change
in Taiwan’s history.
Whereas the Congress must continue to play an independent
oversight role on United States policy toward Taiwan,
and try to find ways to reduce the threat of war between
Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China, and in par-
ticular, to counteract China’s buildup of missiles pointed
at Taiwan;
•HCON 401 IH
Whereas the United States continues to cling to its policy of
more than 20 years, which prohibits high-ranking Taiwan
leaders from making official visits to the United States,
forcing Members of Congress to choose whether to rely
solely upon indirect assessments provided by the adminis-
tration or to travel to Taiwan to obtain this information
firsthand, and denying Taiwan’s democratically elected
officials the respect they deserve;
Whereas, by bestowing upon President Chen the respect his
office deserves, the United States would have dem-
onstrated to the people of both Taiwan and the People’s
Republic of China United States support for democracy;
and
Whereas the Immigration and Nationality Technical Correc-
tions Act of 1994 (Public Law 103–416) provides that
the President of Taiwan shall be welcome in the United
States at any time to discuss a host of important issues:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) it is in the interest of the Congress and the
executive branch of the United States to commu-
nicate directly with elected and appointed top offi-
cials of Taiwan, including its democratically elected
president; and
(2) the United States should revise, with a view
toward reducing, restrictions on high-level visits by
officials of Taiwan to the United States.
Æ