[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 86 (Friday, June 26, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1267-E1268]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 PATRICIA A. FRIEND DISCUSSES LABOR RIGHTS IN TAIWAN AND THE ABUSE OF 
                         THOSE RIGHTS IN CHINA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 25, 1998

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, as President Clinton is in the People's 
Republic of China in search of better relations between our two 
nations, I hope that his efforts will serve to influence the Beijing 
government to improve its dismal policies on the application of basic 
international human rights and to respect internationally-recognized 
trade union rights for workers of China.
  China's human rights abuses have been chronicled on the floor of this 
House and in numerous committee and subcommittee hearings on many 
occasions. These abuses include arbitrary detention, imprisonment for 
political views and exercise of trade union rights, abuse of prisoners 
and denial of its citizens' rights to freedom of expression and 
assembly.
  In direct contrast to the practices of the government of China, the 
Republic of China on Taiwan presents a completely different picture. 
Taiwan is a nation with democratically elected leaders, which respects 
human rights and trade union rights. Taiwan is a country with a booming 
economy, but unlike China one does not find forced labor, political 
repression, and abuse of human rights. In particular, Mr. Speaker, 
Taiwan guarantees political, economic and press freedoms that are an 
integral part of civic and political life. Taiwan is a society where 
workers are freely allowed to form their own unions and to engage in 
collective bargaining with their employers.
  In this connection, Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to the 
attention of my colleagues an excellent opinion article which appeared 
in the San Francisco Chronicle written by Patricia A. Friend, the 
International President of the AFL-CIO's Association of Flight 
Attendants, and a member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council.
  In her article, Ms. Friend accurately reports on the significant 
gains that have been achieved by Taiwanese workers, and she points up 
the sharp contrast to the huge difference in the record of Taiwan via-
a-vis China when it comes to democratic freedoms, economic progress for 
its citizens, and the application of and respect for international 
human rights, trade unions rights and free expression.
  I commend Ms. Friend for her excellent and timely essay on the state 
of freedom in Taiwan and I urge my colleagues to give this article the 
thoughtful attention that it deserves.

           [From the San Francisco Chronicle, June 16, 1998]

                 Taiwan, Not Mainland, Is on Right Path

                        (By Patricia A. Friend)

       It has been nearly two decades since U.S. airlines began 
     regular service to Taiwan and mainland China, establishing a 
     direct and important link to the Asia-Pacific region. That 
     tie and the many others established since have helped spur 
     pro-democracy efforts and new freedoms of speech and press--
     but only on one side of the Taiwan Strait.
       While the People's Republic of China is notorious for 
     abuses of human rights, Taiwan celebrates respect for human 
     rights and the right of employees to form and join unions. In 
     fact, about 200 Taiwanese flight attendants who work for 
     United Airlines based in Taipei have joined the other 45,000 
     members of the Association of Flight Attendants, a member 
     union in the AFL-CIO and a group that I am proud to serve as 
     international president. The Taiwanese flight attendants are 
     the only Taiwanese nationals to be members of a U.S. labor 
     union.
       This development, as much as any other, underscores the 
     vast differences between mainland China and Taiwan.
       On the east side of the strait, the people of Taiwan have 
     made dramatic changes in recent years. The island is now a 
     vibrant democracy under the bold leadership of President Lee 
     Teng-hui, the first directly and democratically elected 
     leader in ethnic Chinese history. Last fall the opposition 
     party, the Democratic Progressive Party, took a majority of 
     seats in local elections, clear evidence of the willingness 
     of the Taiwanese people to exercise their newfound right to 
     vote and their freedom to do so.
       Taiwan is home to 21.6 million people and one of the most 
     dynamic economies in the world. The economic crisis that has 
     rocked so many Asian nations in recent months has left Taiwan 
     virtually unscathed. The tiny island boasts a per-capita 
     income of almost $13,000, status as the world's 13th-largest 
     trading partner and the United States' eighth-largest trading 
     partner.
       The United states exports $18 billion a year of good to 
     Taiwan, 50 percent more than the United States exports to 
     mainland China.
       Taiwan has demonstrated a commitment to expanding 
     opportunities there for U.S. businesses. In February, Taiwan 
     and the United States concluded talks, which have been going 
     on for four years, on the terms of Taiwan's entry into the 
     World Trade Organization. U.S. Trade Representative Charlene 
     Barshefsky said the agreement would ``dramatically open up 
     Taiwan's markets,'' particularly in the areas of agricultural 
     products and industrial goods.

[[Page E1268]]

       Yet despite this progress in the economic arena, America 
     does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, and our 
     officials are prohibited from even referring to Taiwan as a 
     ``country.'' Our government refuses to endorse Taiwan's bid 
     to rejoin the United Nations--of which it was a founding 
     member--or other international organizations.
       The time has come for Americans to take a stand for 
     democracy, freedom and basic human rights in Asia, issues 
     that will probably be on the table when President Clinton 
     meets PRC President Jiang Zemin in Beijing this month. The 
     People's Republic of China shows no sign of changing its 
     inhuman labor policies. The flight attendants in our union 
     salute the people of Taiwan for the progress they have made 
     in recent years and urge the Clinton administration to 
     acknowledge and champion Taiwan's accomplishments in 
     improving the standard of living of its workforce.

     

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