[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 220 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 220

To express the concern of the Senate regarding the passage of the anti-
    secession law by the National People's Congress of the People's 
    Republic of China, and to support dialogue between the People's 
     Republic of China and Taiwan on an equal footing and without 
                             preconditions.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 28, 2005

 Mr. Graham (for himself, Mr. Allen, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Biden, Mr. Kyl, 
Mr. Bond, Mr. Coburn, Mr. Allard, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Dorgan, and Mr. 
Bingaman) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
To express the concern of the Senate regarding the passage of the anti-
    secession law by the National People's Congress of the People's 
    Republic of China, and to support dialogue between the People's 
     Republic of China and Taiwan on an equal footing and without 
                             preconditions.

Whereas any attempt to determine Taiwan's future by other than peaceful means 
        and other than with the express consent of the people of Taiwan is of 
        grave concern to the United States;
Whereas the People's Republic of China increased its military budget by 12.6 
        percent this year and currently maintains approximately 700 conventional 
        missiles and 250,000 troops along the Taiwan Strait;
Whereas the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China on 
        March 14, 2005, passed an anti-secession law creating a legal framework 
        for possible use of force against Taiwan;
Whereas the anti-secession law mandates that China use military action under 
        certain circumstances, including when ``possibilities for a peaceful 
        reunification should be completely exhausted'';
Whereas any threat of force against Taiwan only serves to escalate tension 
        between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China, impede dialogue 
        between the 2 countries, and undermine regional peace and security;
Whereas the anti-secession law endorses dialogue between China and Taiwan ``on 
        an equal footing,'' and calls on China to promote peace and stability 
        through personal exchanges, closer economic ties, and other measures;
Whereas, in recent years, Taiwan has invested more than $80,000,000,000 in 
        enterprises in China, and China is now Taiwan's largest trading partner, 
        with total trade worth over $50,000,000,000;
Whereas, on February 24, 2005, Chen Shui-bian, the President of Taiwan, and 
        James Soong, the leader of the People's First Party, issued a 10-point 
        consensus affirming their commitment to preserve the status quo 
        regarding the issue of independence or unification and outlining steps 
        to reinforce economic, cultural, and academic exchanges with mainland 
        China;
Whereas, in recent months, Lien Chan, the leader of the Nationalist Party, and 
        Mr. Soong have made private visits to China and met with senior Chinese 
        officials; and
Whereas there have been no official talks on future relations between Taiwan and 
        the People's Republic of China since 1998, and China recently rejected a 
        proposal by Taiwan for a meeting at a neutral location: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) the President should direct all appropriate officials 
        of the United States Government to convey to their counterpart 
        officials in the Government of China the grave concern with 
        which the United States Government views the threat of force 
        embodied in the anti-secession law enacted by the Government of 
        the People's Republic of China in particular, and the growing 
        Chinese military threat to Taiwan in general; and
            (2) the United States Government should continue to 
        encourage dialogue between the People's Republic of China and 
        Taiwan on an equal footing and without preconditions.
                                 <all>