Concurrent Senate and House Resolution regarding China's Aggresion

On 7 March 1996,  Senators Thomas, Helms, Murkowski,  Simon, and  Mack
submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Relations:

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 43

Whereas the People's Republic of China, in a clear attempt to intimidate the
people and Government of Taiwan , has over the past 8 months conducted a
series of military exercises, including missile tests, within alarmingly
close proximity to Taiwan ;

Whereas on March 5, 1996, the Xinhua News Agency announced that the People's
Republic of China will conduct missile tests from March 8 through March 15,
1996, within 25 to 35 miles of the 2 principal northern and southern ports of
Taiwan , Kaohsiung and Keelung;

Whereas the proximity of these tests to the ports and the accompanying
warnings for ships and aircraft to avoid the test areas will result in the
effective blockading of the ports, and the probable disruption of
international shipping, for the duration of the tests;

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 the decision of the United States to establish diplomatic relations
with the Peoples' Republic of China rested upon the expectation that the
future of Taiwan  would 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;


Whereas the Taiwan  Relations Act 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 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 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 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 Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That it is
the sense of the Congress that--

1. the United States deplores the missile tests that the People's Republic of
China will conduct from March 8 through March 15, 1996, and views them as a
threat to the peace, security, and stability of Taiwan  and not in the spirit
of the three United States Joint Communiques;

2. the Government of the People's Republic of China should 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. the President, consistent with section 3(c) of the Taiwan  Relations Act
(22 U.S.C. 3302(c)), should immediately consult with Congress on an
appropriate United States response to the tests; and 

4. the President should, consistent with the Taiwan  Relations Act (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 threat. 



                            H.CON.RES. 148

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the United States is committed to
the military stability of the Taiwan Straits and United States military
forces should defend the Republic of China (also known as Taiwan) in the
event of invasion, missile attack, or blockade by the People s Republic of
China.

Whereas the United States began its long, peaceful, and friendly
relationship
with the Republic of China on Taiwan in 1949;

Whereas since the enactment in 1979 of the Taiwan Relations Act, the policy
of the United States has been based on the expectation that the future
relationship between the People s Republic of China and Taiwan will be
determined by peaceful means and by mutual agreement between the parties;

Whereas the People s Republic of China s intense efforts to intimidate
Taiwan
have reached a level that threatens to undermine stability throughout the
region;

Whereas since the beginning of 1996, the leaders of the People s Republic of
China have frequently and unambiguously threatened to use military force
against Taiwan;

Whereas for the past year the People s Republic of China has conducted
military maneuvers designed to intimidate Taiwan both during its democratic
legislative elections in 1995 and during the period preceding democratic
presidential elections in March 1996;

Whereas those military maneuvers and tests have included the firing of 6
uclear-capable missiles approximately 100 miles north of Taiwan in July
1995;

Whereas it has been reported that officials of the People s Republic of
China
have stated that they have developed plans to attack Taiwan with missiles
for
up to 30 days;

Whereas it has been reported that the People s Republic of China sought to
intimidate the United States with veiled threats to launch a nuclear attack
against the United States should the United States assist Taiwan in
defending
itself from attack;

Whereas the firing of missiles across the Taiwan Straits, an international
waterway, threatens both Taiwan and the political, military, and commercial
interests of the United States and its allies;

Whereas in the face of such intimidation, Taiwan is entitled to defend
itself
from military aggression, including through the development of an
anti-ballistic missile defense system;

Whereas the United States and Taiwan have enjoyed a long-standing and
uninterrupted friendship, which has only increased in light of the
remarkable
economic development and political liberalization in Taiwan in recent years;

Whereas Taiwan has achieved tremendous economic success in becoming the 19th
largest economy in the world; 

Whereas Taiwan has reached a historic turning point in the development of
Chinese democracy, as on March 23, 1996, it will conduct the first
competitive, free, fair, direct, and popular election of a head of state in
over 4,000 years of recorded Chinese history;

Whereas for the past century the United States has promoted democracy and
economic freedom around the world, and the evolution of Taiwan is an
outstanding example of the success of that policy; and 

Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act directs the President to inform the
Congress
promptly of any threat to Taiwan's security and provides that the President
and the congress together shall determine appropriate United States action
in
response; 

Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 rests on the premise that the
United
States will assist Taiwan should it face any effort to determine its future
by other than peaceful means, including by boycott or embargoes: Now,
therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, (the Senate concurring), That it
is
the sense   of the Congress that--

(1) the People s Republic of China--

(A) should reaffirm the commitment it made to the United States that it
would
conduct its relations with Taiwan by peaceful means; and 

(B) should engage in diplomatic negotiations to discuss outstanding points
of
disagreement with Taiwan without any threat of military or economic coercion
against Taiwan; 

(2) the People s Republic of China should immediately live up to its
commitment to the United States to strive for a peaceful solution to the
Taiwan question, and accordingly desist from military actions designed to
intimidate Taiwan;

(3) Taiwan has stated and should adhere to its commitment to negotiate its
future relations with the mainland by mutual, not unilateral, decision;

(4) the United States should maintain its commitment to resist any resort to
force or other forms of coercion that would
jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people of
Taiwan, consistent with its undertakings in the Taiwan Relations Act;

(5) the United States should maintain a naval presence, sufficient to keep
open the sea lanes in and near the Taiwan Straits;

(6) in the face of the several overt military threats by the People s
Republic of China against Taiwan and consistent with the commitment of the
United States under the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States should
supply
Taiwan with defensive weapons systems, including naval vessels, aircraft,
and
air defense, all of which are crucial to the security of Taiwan; and 

(7) the United States, in accordance with the Taiwan relations act and the
constitutional process of the United States, and consistent with its
friendship with and commitment to the democratic government and people of
Taiwan, should assist in defending against invasion, missile attack, or
blockade by the People s Republic of China.