[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 13 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. CON. RES. 13
Reaffirming the United States commitment to Taiwan and to the
implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 4, 2019
Mr. Gardner (for himself, Mr. Markey, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Menendez, Mr.
Risch, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Cornyn, and Mr. Isakson) submitted the following
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations
April 30, 2019
Committee discharged; considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Reaffirming the United States commitment to Taiwan and to the
implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act.
Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act (referred to in this resolution as the
``TRA''), which was signed into law on April 10, 1979, codified into law
the basis for continued commercial, cultural, and other relations
between the people of the United States and the people of Taiwan, and
serves as the foundation to preserve and promote continued bilateral
bonds;
Whereas the TRA enshrines the United States commitment to make available to
Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as
may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense
capability;
Whereas pursuant to section 1206 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act,
Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107-228; 22 U.S.C. 2321k note), Taiwan is
to be treated as though it were designated a major non-NATO ally for
transfers of defense articles or defense services;
Whereas in 1982, President Ronald Reagan further clarified the importance and
resilience of the United States-Taiwan relationship by agreeing to the
Six Assurances;
Whereas the TRA and the Six Assurances are cornerstones of United States policy
with respect to Taiwan, as was reaffirmed--
(1) by the House of Representatives with the adoption of H. Con. Res.
88 on May 16, 2016; and
(2) by the Senate with the adoption of S. Con. Res. 38 on July 6, 2016;
Whereas the TRA and the Six Assurances have been essential components in helping
to maintain peace, security, and stability in the Western Pacific,
thereby furthering the political, security, and economic interests of
the United States and Taiwan;
Whereas the United States and Taiwan have forged ever closer economic and
security relations during the last 4 decades based on--
(1) their shared commitment to democracy, human rights, the rule of
law, and free market principles; and
(2) their willingness to partner in efforts to combat global terrorism
and to address other global challenges, such as challenges related to the
environment, public health, energy security, education, women's
empowerment, digital economy, poverty, and natural disasters;
Whereas the United States-Taiwan global partnership was further strengthened in
June 2015, with a memorandum of understanding between the American
Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative
Office in the United States, which established the Global Cooperation
and Training Framework, and has allowed the 2 parties to cohost many
workshops on critical topics, including a December 2018 workshop on
humanitarian assistance and disaster relief that was attended by 10
regional governments;
Whereas Taiwan has the expertise, willingness, and capability to engage in
international efforts to mitigate global challenges related to such
issues as public health, aviation safety, crime, and terrorism, but its
participation in such efforts has been constrained by conditions imposed
by the People's Republic of China;
Whereas successive Congresses have called upon the executive branch to develop
strategies to obtain meaningful participation for Taiwan in
international organizations, such as the World Health Organization, the
International Civil Aviation Organization, and the International
Criminal Police Organization (commonly known as ``INTERPOL'');
Whereas the House of Representatives passed H.R. 353 on January 22, 2019, which
expresses support for Taiwan's participation at the World Health
Organization's World Health Assembly as an observer;
Whereas communication on bilateral security, cultural, and commercial interests
would be greatly enhanced with the full implementation of the Taiwan
Travel Act (Public Law 115-135), which was signed into law on March 16,
2018, and which states ``the United States Government should encourage
visits between officials from the United States and Taiwan at all
levels'';
Whereas the United States and Taiwan have built a strong economic partnership in
which--
(1) the United States is Taiwan's third largest trading partner; and
(2) Taiwan is the 11th largest trading partner of the United States and
a key destination for United States agricultural exports;
Whereas strong United States-Taiwan economic relations have been a positive
factor in stimulating economic growth and job creation for the people of
the United States and of Taiwan; and
Whereas successive Congresses have publicly reaffirmed United States commitments
to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act and Six Assurances, including
most recently on December 31, 2018, with the enactment into law of the
Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-409), which
states that--
(1) it is United States policy ``to support the close economic,
political, and security relationship between Taiwan and the United
States''; and
(2) the President should--
G (A) ``conduct regular transfers of defense articles to Taiwan that
are tailored to meet the existing and likely future threats from the
People's Republic of China, including supporting the efforts of Taiwan to
develop and integrate asymmetric capabilities, as appropriate, including
mobile, survivable, and cost-effective capabilities, into its military
forces''; and
G (B) ``encourage the travel of high-level United States officials
to Taiwan, in accordance with the Taiwan Travel Act'': Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),
That Congress--
(1) reaffirms that the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six
Assurances are, and will remain, cornerstones of United States
relations with Taiwan;
(2) encourages United States officials at all levels to
travel to meet with their counterparts in Taiwan, and for high-
level Taiwan officials to enter the United States and meet with
United States officials, in accordance with the Taiwan Travel
Act;
(3) reiterates that the President should conduct regular
transfers of defense articles to Taiwan consistent with
Taiwan's national security requirements in accordance with
existing law, including the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of
2018 (Public Law 115-409);
(4) calls upon the Secretary of State to actively engage
internationally in support of Taiwan's meaningful participation
in international organizations engaged in addressing
transnational threats and challenges such as those related to
health, aviation security, and crime and terrorism;
(5) recognizes Taiwan's partnership in combating global
terrorism, including as a full partner in the Global Coalition
to Defeat ISIS, and in addressing other global challenges
through the Global Cooperation and Training Framework and
similar initiatives;
(6) urges the President to explore opportunities to expand
and deepen bilateral economic and trade relations with Taiwan;
(7) underscores the importance of the close people-to-
people ties cultivated through initiatives such as the
Fulbright Program, which has supported thousands of scholar and
grantee exchanges between the United States and Taiwan for 60
years;
(8) welcomes the inclusion of Taiwan into the United States
visa waiver program and U.S. Customs and Border Protection's
Global Entry Program to make it easier for those traveling from
Taiwan to visit the United States; and
(9) acknowledges the important work done by the American
Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural
Representative Office in support of United States-Taiwan
interests.
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