[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 98 (Tuesday, July 21, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1369]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              AFFIRMING UNITED STATES COMMITMENT TO TAIWAN

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 20, 1998

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution 
introduced by Mr. DeLay affirming the United States commitment to 
Taiwan. I am pleased to be an original cosponsor of the legislation and 
I would like to thank Mr. DeLay for his willingness to consider my 
suggestions for improving the legislation. Mr. DeLay and his staff 
person, Tim Berry, worked in a cooperative and bipartisan manner to 
fashion a resolution which I urge all my colleagues to support.
  This resolution expresses the United States continued commitment to 
the people of Taiwan and our interest in ensuring that the future 
status of Taiwan be resolved by peaceful means. It also affirms our 
strong support for membership for Taiwan in international financial 
institutions where appropriate.
  In 1994 in response to the profound economic and political changes 
that had taken place both in China and in Taiwan, the Clinton 
Administration approved adjustments in our relationship with Taiwan. 
Among the changes approved were permission for high-level visitors, 
including cabinet officers; provision for Taiwan's president and 
premier to transit American territory, and active support for Taiwan's 
membership in international organizations accepting non-states as 
members. These were important changes in our policy which were 
responsive to Taiwan's emergence as a democratic country. Nor were they 
out of character with past behavior toward Taiwan. As a recent article 
in the Washington Post by Ambassador Harvey Feldman points out, even 
after being expelled from the United Nations in 1971, Taiwan remained a 
member of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund until 
1980.
  It is important to note that our policy towards Taiwan has not been 
immutable. It has changed in response to developments in Taiwan as long 
as those changes remain consistent with our overall objective of 
promoting peace in the region. Our relations with Taiwan and our policy 
has been governed by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 (P.L. 96-8), 
further articulated in three U.S.-China communiques of 1972, 1979, and 
1982, and clarified at the request of Taiwan in the so-called ``Six 
Assurances'' in 1982. In 1982 the Reagan Administration was asked by 
Taiwanese officials to accept as guidelines concerning our policy 
towards Taiwan six points: (1) the United States would not set a date 
for termination of arms sales to Taiwan; (2) the United States would 
not alter the terms of the Taiwan Relations Act; (3) the United States 
would not engage in advance consultations with Beijing before deciding 
on U.S. weapons transfers to Taiwan; (4) the United States would not 
serve as mediator between Taiwan and the mainland; (5) the United 
States would not alter its position regarding sovereignty of Taiwan and 
we would not pressure Taiwan to engage in negotiations with the 
mainland, and (6) the United States would not formally recognize 
China's sovereignty over Taiwan. We accepted those points and they have 
conditioned our role between Taiwan and China ever since. This 
resolution, by reaffirming our interests in resolving the status of 
Taiwan through peaceful means, reinforces our continued adherence to 
the six assurances of 1982.
  It is important that, as we attempt to build a more constructive 
relationship with China, we not do so at the cost of the people of 
Taiwan. This resolution makes clear our desire to maintain strong, 
productive and peaceful relations with both China and Taiwan. In his 
recent trip to China, President Clinton emphasized this point when he 
said ``a key to Asia's stability is a peaceful and prosperous 
relationship with the People's Republic of China and Taiwan.'' As the 
President noted, peace and prosperity ``has allowed democracy to 
flourish in Taiwan.'' I hope that the peace and prosperity which China 
now enjoys will lead as well to democracy in that great land.

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