[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 14, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S3855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 TAIWAN

  Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, let me speak briefly on both the Taiwan 
situation and the North Korean situation.
  I am pleased to cosponsor the concurrent resolution of Senator 
Murkowski. I commend him for his leadership on this.
  We ought to maintain a good relationship, if possible, with the 
People's Republic of China, but they should not be permitted to veto 
our standing up for human rights.
  Senator Murkowski mentioned that when President Lee landed in Hawaii 
at a military base on his way to Costa Rica, he was not permitted to 
stay overnight. The base commander was not permitted to come out and 
greet him.
  Is this the President of a dictatorship? We treat dictators better 
than we treat the freely elected President of Taiwan. Taiwan is doing 
everything that we say a country should do--free press, a multiparty 
system, holding elections--and yet we treat them as a pariah. We treat 
them as they used to treat people with leprosy.
  It is very interesting what happened in Germany. There were two 
Germanys, and we recognized both Governments. Neither Government was 
particularly happy that we did it, but it did not prevent the two 
Germanys from coming together. And that should be our attitude toward 
Taiwan.
  I realize that right now formal recognition is not going to be in the 
cards for Taiwan. But, at the very least, we ought to say to the 
President of Taiwan, President Lee, who wants to come over to go to his 
school reunion at Cornell, who was not permitted to do that last time, 
that he should be able to come to his school reunion at Cornell.
  There is also a meeting on United States-Republic of China economic 
relations. He would like to combine the two. Why should he not be 
permitted to come and attend those?
  As one Senator, I think our conduct toward Taiwan has, frankly, been 
an embarrassment. If the People's Republic of China squeals some 
because we show some deference to the leadership of Taiwan, I think we 
just have to understand that is going to be part of the process.

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