[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 140 (Thursday, October 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10814-S10815]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       U.S. RELATIONS WITH TAIWAN

 Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, as Congress prepares to leave 
for the Columbus Day recess, I notice that there are other celebrations 
going on around Washington, including ``National Day'' celebrations in 
Chinatown. These celebrations brought to mind several issues that I 
wanted to share with my colleagues regarding United States relations 
with Taiwan.
  As Washington prepares for the State visit of President Jiang Zemin 
of the People's Republic of China, some press reports have speculated 
that the issue of Taiwan might be on the summit agenda. First, let me 
say that I welcome the visit of President Jiang. High-level dialogue 
with the Chinese should be regular and routine, and this summit 
presents an opportunity to discuss many issues of mutual concern to our 
two countries. But let me add that improving relations with the PRC 
need not, and indeed, should not, come at the expense of our 
relationship with Taiwan.
  Therefore, I sent a letter, signed by 10 of my colleagues including 
Majority Leader Trent Lott, Minority Leader Tom Daschle, chairman of 
the Foreign Relations Committee Jesse Helms; and East Asia and the 
Pacific Subcommittee Chairman Craig Thomas, to President Clinton urging 
him to oppose any efforts at the summit by the PRC leadership to 
diminish American support for Taiwan.
  Mr. President, I ask that a copy of that letter be printed in the 
Record.
  Mr. President, I wish President Clinton and his administration 
success at the upcoming summit, and I urge him to respect the views of 
me and my colleagues, which I think represents the views of many 
Americans, that our support for Taiwan's democracy and freedom cannot 
be sacrificed.
  I also want to use this opportunity to express my gratitude to 
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright for her efforts to consult more 
closely with Members of Congress with regard to issues related to 
Taiwan. I refer specifically to consultations regarding the recent 
selection of Richard Clarence Bush III as Chairman of the American 
Institute in Taiwan [AIT].
  Some of my colleagues, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman 
Jesse Helms, in particular, will remember that the consultation process 
did not work when the prior AIT Chairman, Mr. James Wood, was selected.

[[Page S10815]]

 Mr. James Wood resigned from his position on January 1997 among 
various charges and countercharges with regard to foreign contributions 
during the election campaign. I leave the legitimacy of those charges 
to the investigators, but I simply wanted to note that congressional 
concerns regarding Mr. Wood were ignored by our State Department.
  In response to this incident, I considered offering an amendment to 
the State Department authorization legislation that would have required 
establishing a post within the State Department that would be directly 
responsible for Taiwan Affairs. As part of negotiations over that 
amendment, I had the opportunity to discuss with the Secretary my 
dissatisfaction with the consultation process on matters relating to 
Taiwan.
  The Secretary promised that she would rectify this situation and 
would in the future consult with Congress prior to naming future 
officers of AIT. She followed up on this oral promise with a letter 
dated July 30, 1997, that states that if the Foreign Relations 
Committee ``expresses reservations about a prospective trustee, we will 
undertake to discuss and resolve the matter fully with the Committee 
before proceeding.''
  Mr. President, I ask that a copy of the July 30 letter be printed in 
the Record.
  The Secretary held to her word and consulted with me and others prior 
to the selection of Richard Bush. I must admit, Mr. President, that 
this was an easy case. Mr. Bush is a talented individual who is well 
qualified to take this sensitive position. I had the opportunity to 
negotiate with Mr. Bush when he was advising Congressman Lee Hamilton 
on Taiwan-related issues, and I found him well-spoken and honest. I 
look forward to the opportunity to continue to work with him in his new 
role.
  I hope that Mr. Bush will use his new position to further strengthen 
and enhance United States relations with the people and the Government 
of Taiwan. Taiwan is our eighth largest trading partner, and I am 
confident that trade will increase further when Taiwan joins the World 
Trade Organization. In addition, I encourage the administration to send 
high-level officials to Taiwan to further strengthen our relationship 
and to work out the occasional disputes that cloud our relationship.
  The letters follow:


                                                   U.S. Senate

                               Washington, DC, September 23, 1997.
     Hon. William J. Clinton,
     The President, The White House.
       Dear Mr. President: As you prepare for your summit with the 
     President of the People's Republic of China, we thought it 
     appropriate to share with you our thoughts regarding U.S. 
     relations with the people and the government of Taiwan. We 
     believe Taiwan has made extraordinary progress in recent 
     years as the Republic of China has moved to establish a 
     vibrant democracy with free elections, free press, strong 
     trade unions and improved trading practices.
       We believe the American people are united in their support 
     for freedom and democracy on Taiwan. Time and again, Congress 
     has made clear our commitment to Taiwan, beginning with the 
     1979 Taiwan Relations Act, and through many resolutions and 
     bills since then.
       With your important meetings in Washington with the 
     leadership of the People's Republic of China scheduled for 
     late October, there has been much discussion about how the 
     U.S. government would respond to possible demands by the PRC 
     Government regarding U.S. relations with the people and the 
     government of Taiwan.
       Mr. President, we urge you to oppose any efforts at the 
     summit by the PRC leadership to diminish American support for 
     Taiwan. We urge you to reject any plans for a ``Fourth 
     Communique'' on issues related to Taiwan; to not weaken our 
     defensive arms sales commitment to Taiwan; and, to not make 
     any commitment to limit future visits by the elected 
     representatives of the Republic of China.
       We in Congress are prepared to reiterate the commitment of 
     the American people to freedom and democracy for the people 
     and government of Taiwan. We look forward to working with you 
     and your Administration team on these issues in the weeks 
     ahead.
           Sincerely,
         Frank H. Murkowcki; Trent Lott; Jay Rockefeller; Tom 
           Daschle; Craig Thomas; Sam Brownback; ------ ------ 
           Jesse Helms; Robert G. Torricelli; Charles Robb; Larry 
           E. Craig.
                                  ____



                                       The Secretary of State,

                                        Washington, July 30, 1997.
     Hon. Frank Murkowski,
     U.S. Senate.
       Dear Senator Murkowski: I refer to our conversation of June 
     17, in which you underscored the concern of the Foreign 
     Relations Committee about the role of the Senate in 
     monitoring our Taiwan policy and the Committee's specific 
     desire that the Department consult with the Committee before 
     appointing to the Board of Trustees of the American Institute 
     in Taiwan (AIT) a Chairman/Managing Director for AIT.
       As you know, under the bylaws of the American Institute in 
     Taiwan, the Secretary of State appoints and removed trustees 
     of the Institute. The Department continues to hold the view, 
     expressed by Secretary Vance in his letter to then-Chairman 
     Church at the time of AIT's establishment in 1979, that 
     because the Institute is not an agency or instrumentality of 
     the Government, and because its trustees are not officers of 
     the United States, it would not be appropriate for the Senate 
     to advise and consent to the appointment of trustees or 
     officers. However, let me assure you, as did Secretary Vance, 
     that the names of prospective trustees will be forwarded to 
     the Foreign Relations Committee. If the Committee expresses 
     reservations about a prospective trustee, we will undertake 
     to discuss and resolve the matter fully with the Committee 
     before proceeding.
       This arrangement will enable the Institute to retain its 
     character as a private corporation and assist the Senate in 
     fulfilling its responsibilities for monitoring the 
     implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act and the operation 
     of the Institute.
           Sincerely,
     Madeleine K. Albright.

                          ____________________