[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 687 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 687

  Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding United Nations General 
 Assembly Resolution 2758 (XXVI) and the harmful conflation of China's 
  ``One China Principle'' and the United States ``One China Policy''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 15, 2024

   Mr. Risch (for himself and Mrs. Shaheen) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding United Nations General 
 Assembly Resolution 2758 (XXVI) and the harmful conflation of China's 
  ``One China Principle'' and the United States ``One China Policy''.

Whereas, on October 25, 1971, United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 
        2758, which recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China 
        (referred to in this preamble as the ``PRC'') as the representative of 
        the member state ``China'' in the United Nations;
Whereas the purpose of resolution 2758 was to address the question of which 
        government would represent the ``China'' seat at the United Nations, and 
        not to address any other issues, including issues related to Taiwan's 
        ultimate political status;
Whereas the PRC has recently linked resolution 2758 with its ``One China 
        Principle'' and has claimed that resolution 2758 addresses the matter of 
        Taiwan's sovereignty;
Whereas the ``One China Principle'' is a policy held by the Chinese Communist 
        Party that--

    (1) the PRC is the sole sovereign nation using the name ``China''; and

    (2) Taiwan is an inalienable part of China;

Whereas resolution 2758 did not endorse and is not equivalent to the ``One China 
        Principle'' and countries that supported resolution 2758 do not 
        necessarily accept the ``One China Principle'';
Whereas resolution 2758 does not represent an international consensus regarding 
        the PRC's stance that Taiwan is part of China;
Whereas PRC officials misrepresent resolution 2758 by claiming the adoption of 
        resolution 2758 implies acceptance of the ``One China Principle'' and 
        the PRC's claims to Taiwan;
Whereas the PRC misleadingly claims that countries with a ``one China policy'' 
        have accepted and abide by the PRC's ``One China Principle'';
Whereas Daniel Kritenbrink, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of East Asia 
        and Pacific Affairs, testified before the Committee on Foreign Relations 
        of the Senate in 2024 that the PRC ``misused and misinterpreted'' 
        resolution 2758 to influence countries to change their diplomatic 
        recognition to the PRC;
Whereas the ``one China policy'' of the United States acknowledges the PRC's 
        ``One China Principle'', but affirms that--

    (1) the United States does not take a position on Taiwan's status; and

    (2) this issue should be resolved peacefully by the people on both 
sides of the Taiwan Strait;

Whereas, in 1982, during the administration of President Ronald Reagan, the 
        United States conveyed Six Assurances to Taiwan's President Chiang 
        Ching-kuo, including that the United States had not changed its stance 
        on Taiwan's sovereignty, and each subsequent United States presidential 
        administration has reaffirmed these Six Assurances;
Whereas Taiwan has established representative offices in more than 60 countries 
        and at the European Union and the World Trade Organization, which 
        disproves the PRC's claim of a unified United Nations position or 
        international consensus on Taiwan's status;
Whereas the PRC has weaponized resolution 2758 and the ``One China Principle'' 
        to isolate Taiwan and to prevent its meaningful participation at the 
        United Nations, United Nations-affiliated agencies, and other 
        international fora, including at the World Health Organization, the 
        International Civil Aviation Organization, and Interpol;
Whereas the PRC has bolstered its claims and engaged in revisionist history by 
        successfully altering historic United Nations documents to changes 
        references to ``Taiwan'' to ``Taiwan, Province of China'';
Whereas, in 2005, the Secretary of the World Health Organization signed a 
        memorandum of understanding with the PRC Ministry of Health regarding 
        how the World Health Organization would engage with Taiwan, which 
        included a requirement that communication with Taiwan go through the 
        PRC;
Whereas United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon cited resolution 2758 when 
        refusing Taiwan's accession to the United Nations in 2007, based on the 
        incorrect assertion that resolution 2758 supports China's claim that 
        Taiwan is part of China;
Whereas the United Nations has used resolution 2758 as a justification for 
        requiring Taiwanese citizens, including those with official invitations 
        to attend United Nations events, journalists, and representatives of 
        nongovernmental organizations, to obtain PRC-issued Taiwan Compatriot 
        Permits in addition to their passport or a PRC passport to gain entry to 
        United Nations facilities;
Whereas Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement in 2021, which 
        identified the United Nations' exclusion of Taiwanese civil society 
        members and emphasized that denying entry to such individuals undermines 
        the work of the United Nations;
Whereas, in 2022, Robert O'Brien, former United States National Security 
        Advisor, stated that--

    (1) the PRC manipulates resolution 2758 to make false claims regarding 
Taiwan's status in order ``to undermine the international order and the 
international system''; and

    (2) resolution 2758 ``relates solely to the occupancy of the China seat 
at the United Nations and nothing more'';

Whereas, in August 2023, the Central American Parliament (also known as 
        ``PARLACEN'') expelled Taiwan, after more than 20 years as a permanent 
        observer, from holding such status at its sessions and falsely claimed 
        that resolution 2758 deemed Taiwan a ``province of mainland China, which 
        disqualifies it from participating as an Independent country'';
Whereas, since 2016, the PRC has successfully induced or pressured 10 nations: 
        Sao Tome and Principe, Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, 
        Burkina Faso, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Nauru, 
        to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan; and
Whereas the PRC cites resolution 2758 as a justification to coerce, intimidate, 
        or punish sovereign nations for engagement and partnership with Taiwan: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) reaffirms that the longstanding ``one China policy'' of 
        the United States does not affirmatively recognize the People's 
        Republic of China's claim to control over Taiwan and its 
        outlying islands, but rather ``acknowledges'' this position, 
        reaffirms the interest of the United States in a peaceful 
        resolution of cross-Strait issues, ``has not agreed to take any 
        position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan'', and ``will not 
        exert pressure on Taiwan to enter into negotiations with the 
        PRC'';
            (2) reaffirms that the ``one China policy'' of the United 
        States and the similar policies of its partners are not 
        equivalent to the ``One China Principle'' of the Chinese 
        Communist Party;
            (3) emphasizes that United Nations General Assembly 
        resolution 2758 is not equivalent to, and does not endorse, the 
        PRC's ``One China Principle'';
            (4) emphasizes further that resolution 2758 does not take a 
        position on Taiwan's ultimate political status, as explicitly 
        recognized by PRC leaders at the time, and does not represent a 
        United Nations consensus on Taiwan's status;
            (5) opposes China's use of the ``One China Principle'' to 
        coerce the United States, Taiwan, and other countries to accept 
        its claims over Taiwan;
            (6) supports Taiwan's diplomatic allies in continuing 
        official relationships with Taiwan, and other nations across 
        the world in strengthening their partnership with Taiwan;
            (7) reaffirms support for Taiwan's membership in 
        international organizations for which statehood is not a 
        requirement for membership and encourages meaningful 
        participation for Taiwan in organizations in which its 
        membership is not possible;
            (8) encourages the United States Government to work with 
        partners on joint efforts to counter China's false narratives 
        about resolution 2758; and
            (9) supports the efforts of other countries to 
        differentiate between their policies and the ``One China 
        Principle'' to counter China's propaganda about international 
        views of Taiwan.
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