Resolution on Safety and Security of Taiwan

Introduced into the US Senate

On 7 March 1996, Senators Thomas, Helms, Murkowski, Simon, and Mack submitted a Resolution, which stated that the United States views the missile tests as a threat to the peace, security, and stability of Taiwan, and calls on Chines to stop the bellicose actions immediately.

The text of the Resolution as eventually passed by the Senate on 22 March 1996 by a 97 - 0 vote is as follows:

• 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 military exercises, including missile tests, within alarmingly close proximity to Taiwan ;
• Whereas from March 8 through March 15, 1996, 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, China began a 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, China began a 7-day, live ammunition, joint sea-and-air military exercise between Taiwan's islands of Matsu and Wuchu;
• Whereas these tests are a clear escalation of the attempts by the People's Republic of China to intimidate Taiwan and influence the outcome of the upcoming 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 Diplomatic Relations Between the United States of America 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 commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people 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 Peoples' 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 Communiques 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 United 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, 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";
• 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 accompanying statements made by the Government of the People's Republic of China call into serious question the commitment of China to the peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question:

Now Therefore be it Resolved by the United States Senate that it is the sense of the Congress that

1. to deplore the missile tests and military exercises that the People's Republic of China is conducting from March 8 through March 25, 1996, and views 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 Joint Communiques;
2. to urge the Government of the People's Republic of China to cease it bellicose actions directed at Taiwan and instead enter into meaningful dialogue with the Government of Taiwan at the highest levels, such as through the Straits Exchange Foundation in Taiwan and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits in Beijing, with an eye towards decreasing tensions and resolving the issue of the future of Taiwan ;
3. that the President should, consistent with section 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 exercise pose and actual threat to the peace, security and stability of Taiwan;
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 capability in light of the heightened military threat; and
5. that the government of Taiwan should remain committed to the peaceful resolution of its future relations with the People's Republic of China by mutual decision.

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