Washington, 3 February 1999
Today, U.S. Congressmen Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ) and Steve Chabot
(R-OH) introduced a bipartisan resolution in the U.S. House of
Representatives strongly urging the Clinton Administration to seek a
public renunciation by China of any use of force, or threat of use
of force, against Taiwan, and stressing that the United States
should help Taiwan in case of threats or a military attack by China.
The text of the resolution follows below:
H.Con.Res.22.
Concurrent resolution
Providing that the President should seek a public renunciation
by the People's Republic of China of any use of force, or threat
to use force, against Taiwan, and that the United States should
help Taiwan in case of threats or a military attack by the
People's Republic of China.
- Whereas in March of 1996, the political
leadership of the People's Republic of China used provocative
military maneuvers, including missile launch exercises in the
Taiwan Strait, in an attempt to intimidate the people of
Taiwan during their historic, free and democratic presidential
elections;
- Whereas the People's Republic of China
refuses to renounce the use of force against Taiwan;
- Whereas the House of Representatives passed
a resolution by a vote of 411-0 in June 1998 urging the
President to seek, during his July 1998 summit meeting in
Beijing, a public renunciation by the People's Republic of
China of any use of force, or threat of use of force, against
democratic Taiwan;
- Whereas senior United States executive
branch officials have called upon the People's Republic of
China to renounce the use of force against Taiwan;
- Whereas the use of force, and the threat to
use force, by the People's Republic of China against Taiwan
threatens peace and stability in the region;
- Whereas the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act
states that "[i]t is the policy of the United States
... 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";
and
- Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act states
that it is the policy of the United States to provide Taiwan
with arms of a defensive character:
Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the U.S. House
of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That --
- the President of the United States should seek a public
renunciation by the People's Republic of China of any use of
force, or threat to use force, against Taiwan; and
- the United States should help Taiwan defend itself in case
of threats or a military attack by the People's Republic of
China against Taiwan.
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * |