Washington, 9 March 1999
HON. PETER DEUTSCH (D-FL) in the House of Representatives:
Mr. Speaker, I was very disturbed to read on the front page of
The Washington Post on February 11, 1999 the headline "Chinese
Missiles Menace Taiwan ." Throughout my tenure in Congress,
I have fought hard to ensure the safety of Taiwan , and this report
and others are evidence that Congress must be vigilant in
reinforcing its commitment to this tiny island state.
According to a Pentagon report, Beijing now has 150-200 ballistic
missiles aimed at Taiwan and has plans to increase that number to
650. It is clear that this threat is a challenge to Taiwan's
increased democracy and independence -- as evidenced most recently
by its successful elections.
We all remember the last time this happened. In March, 1996, China
reacted to Taiwan's imminent first democratic presidential elections
by testing missiles in the waters just miles off the coast of
Taiwan's largest harbor, Kaohsiung. The United States responded
swiftly and effectively, by dispatching aircraft carriers to the
Taiwan Straits to show the Chinese government our strong opposition
to its actions.
Our response in 1996 was based on the provisions of the 1979
Taiwan Relations Act, which stipulated that the United States
consider "any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by
other than peaceful means . . . of grave concern to the United
States." Our response now should be based on this same
principle.
1999 marks the 20th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act -- the
cornerstone of U.S. commitment to Taiwan's safety and security. We
must commemorate this anniversary by sending a clear message
to Beijing that their acts of aggression and intimidation against
Taiwan need to cease. Beijing must understand that, as we have in
the past, we will come to the aid of Taiwan in case of a Chinese
threat.
I am proud to be a co-sponsor of H. Con. Res. 22 which concludes
that "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 ." This resolution repeats the
provisions of one I introduced in 1997, which was passed by the
House of Representatives later that year.
Mr. Speaker, let us pass H. Con. Res. 22 now, and let us send a
strong message to Beijing that we will not stand idly by while our
friends on Taiwan are bullied into submission by Chinese military
might.