[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 248 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 248

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
States One-China Policy does not commit it to the People's Republic of 
          China's One-China Principle, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 21, 2019

 Mr. Chabot submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
States One-China Policy does not commit it to the People's Republic of 
          China's One-China Principle, and for other purposes.

Whereas officials of the People's Republic of China (PRC) routinely state the 
        PRC's One-China Principle as, ``There is only one China in the world. 
        The Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal 
        government representing the whole of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable 
        part of China's territory.'' ;
Whereas the People's Republic of China actively seeks to assert its One-China 
        Principle over any other position on Taiwan's status, including over the 
        United States One-China Policy, by waging a global campaign to persuade 
        or force governments, international organizations, and private 
        corporations to refer to Taiwan as a part of China;
Whereas since Taiwan voters' election of President Tsai-Ing Wen of the 
        Democratic Progressive Party, the PRC has dramatically increased its 
        efforts to isolate Taiwan from participation in the international 
        community;
Whereas the PRC has actively sought to exclude Taiwan from participation at the 
        World Health Organization and other international organizations since 
        President Tsai's election;
Whereas the United Nations has routinely and erroneously interpreted United 
        Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 (1971) by referring to Taiwan 
        as ``Taiwan Province of China'', presuming resolution of Taiwan's 
        status;
Whereas, in 2016, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) 
        invited Taiwan to attend the annual World Health Assembly as an observer 
        on the basis of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, which 
        she interpreted as reflecting the PRC's One-China Principle;
Whereas the WHO, the World Bank, and other international organizations continue 
        to refer to Taiwan as ``Taiwan, China'';
Whereas, since 2016, the Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, Panama, the Dominican 
        Republic, Burkina Faso, and El Salvador chose to recognize the PRC's 
        One-China Principle after switching diplomatic relations from Taipei to 
        Beijing;
Whereas the PRC continues to seek to coerce private companies around the world 
        to refer to Taiwan as a part of China;
Whereas the PRC has insisted on acceptance of its One-China Principle being a 
        precondition to engagement with Taiwan on resolution of their 
        differences;
Whereas in a speech on January 2, 2019, marking the anniversary of the People's 
        Republic of China's 1979 ``Message to Compatriots in Taiwan'', PRC 
        President Xi Jinping stated, ``The development process of cross-Strait 
        relations has proved: No one and no forces can change the historical and 
        legal facts that Taiwan is a part of China and two sides of the Strait 
        belong to one China!'';
Whereas President Xi also stated that ``The longstanding political differences 
        between the two sides of the Strait are the major causes that prevent 
        cross-Strait relations from proceeding steadily. This should not be 
        passed down generation after generation.'', thereby implying a deadline 
        for unification of Taiwan with the PRC;
Whereas President Xi further asserted, ``We make no promise to renounce the use 
        of force and reserve the option of taking all necessary means . . . 
        [against] `Taiwan independence' separatists'';
Whereas President Xi also held out a ``one country, two systems'' model for 
        Taiwan's adoption and promised that under such an arrangement, ``the 
        social system and life styles of Taiwan compatriots will be fully 
        respected after the peaceful unification, and the private property, 
        religious beliefs, and legitimate rights and interests of Taiwan 
        compatriots will be fully guaranteed'';
Whereas over 75 percent of the people of Taiwan do not support a ``one country, 
        two systems'' model;
Whereas Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen stated in response to President Xi's 
        speech that ``Taiwan absolutely will not accept `one country, two 
        systems' . . .'';
Whereas Taiwan has transitioned into a fully functioning democracy since 1996, 
        when the island held its first direct Presidential election;
Whereas the PRC's persistent and increasing authoritarianism and Taiwan's 
        consolidation of its democracy place the PRC and Taiwan on divergent 
        paths and make unification less likely;
Whereas the Chinese Communist Party is responsible for this state of affairs as 
        it has prevented the people of mainland China from developing a 
        representative democracy while the Government of Taiwan has allowed the 
        people of Taiwan to develop a flourishing democracy;
Whereas an overwhelming majority of the people of Taiwan favor the status quo in 
        the Taiwan Strait in which Taiwan is not part of the PRC;
Whereas the United States One-China Policy is based on full implementation of 
        the Taiwan Relations Act and on joint communiques negotiated with the 
        PRC in 1972, 1978, and 1982, with a focus on peaceful resolution of 
        Taiwan's status;
Whereas, consequently, the United States One-China Policy is not the PRC's One-
        China Principle;
Whereas in the Three Joint Communiques, the United States only acknowledged, 
        without endorsing, the PRC's claim that there is but one China and 
        Taiwan is part of China;
Whereas, on April 10, 1979, the Taiwan Relations Act (Public Law 96-8) was 
        enacted into law;
Whereas pursuant to the Taiwan Relations Act, ``It is the policy of the United 
        States--

    ``(1) to preserve and promote extensive, close, and friendly 
commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people of the United 
States and the people on Taiwan, as well as the people on the China 
mainland and all other peoples of the Western Pacific area;

    ``(2) to declare that peace and stability in the area are in the 
political, security, and economic interests of the United States, and are 
matters of international concern;

    ``(3) to make clear that the United States decision to establish 
diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China rests upon the 
expectation that the future of Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means;

    ``(4) 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;

    ``(5) to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character; and

    ``(6) to maintain the capacity of the United States 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 on Taiwan;'';

Whereas, in 2018, the Taiwan Travel Act (Public Law 115-135) was enacted into 
        law, and its passage expressed the sense of Congress that ``the United 
        States Government should encourage visits between officials from the 
        United States and Taiwan at all levels'';
Whereas pursuant to the Taiwan Travel Act, ``it should be the policy of the 
        United States to--

    ``(1) allow officials at all levels of the United States Government, 
including Cabinet-level national security officials, general officers, and 
other executive branch officials, to travel to Taiwan to meet their 
Taiwanese counterparts; [and]

    ``(2) allow high-level officials of Taiwan to enter the United States, 
under conditions which demonstrate appropriate respect for the dignity of 
such officials, and to meet with officials of the United States, including 
officials from the Department of State and the Department of Defense and 
other Cabinet agencies'';

Whereas implementation of the Taiwan Travel Act is not a violation of United 
        States policy and would ``preserve and promote extensive, close, and 
        friendly commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people of 
        the United States and the people on Taiwan'', as called for by the 
        Taiwan Relations Act;
Whereas it is in the United States national interest to see to it that 
        resolution of the status of Taiwan is peaceful and respectful of 
        Taiwan's thriving democracy as well as that until such a peaceful 
        resolution is achieved, the status quo in the Taiwan Strait in which 
        Taiwan exists as a self-governing democracy is maintained; and
Whereas the PRC's One-China Principle does not reflect the objective state of 
        affairs that the Taiwan Government represents a self-governing democracy 
        of 23.6 million people: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) it encourages both sides of the Taiwan Strait to carry 
        out constructive dialogue without preconditions;
            (2) it encourages visits between officials from the United 
        States and Taiwan at all levels;
            (3) other countries and international organizations should 
        refrain from acquiescing to the PRC's One-China Principle;
            (4) private companies should rebuff efforts by the PRC to 
        enforce its One-China Principle and that such companies that do 
        business in the United States should report such efforts to the 
        Secretary of State; and
            (5) the United States should counter the People's Republic 
        of China's One-China Principle campaign by adopting the 
        following policy toward Taiwan:
                    (A) The United States recognizes the objective 
                reality that the Taiwan Government legitimately 
                represents a democracy of 23.6 million people.
                    (B) The United States will seek to ensure any 
                resolution of the future of Taiwan is undertaken 
                peacefully and with the active assent of the people of 
                Taiwan, pursuant to United States policy as adopted in 
                the Taiwan Relations Act and the political, security, 
                and economic interests of the United States described 
                therein.
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