[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 77 (Wednesday, June 6, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H2894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      MILITARY MANEUVERS BY PRC AND PLA APPEAR TO THREATEN TAIWAN

  (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, I come to the well of the House today to call 
my colleagues' attention to the recent military maneuvers by the 
People's Republic of China and the People's Liberation Army that appear 
to threaten Taiwan.
  The PLA's response to nearly every political development seems to be 
to increase its military posture. I wonder, Mr. Speaker, what is the 
People's Republic of China afraid of. To my knowledge during the modern 
era, there has never been a credible threat to the security of mainland 
China. The amphibious military training maneuvers currently underway 
are similar to 1996 exercises that resulted in a missile launch aimed 
at the Taiwan Straits. You may recall that the U.S. responded to that 
launch by deploying an aircraft carrier to the region. Now, as then, 
the United States is committed to stability in the region.
  The threatening nature of these recent maneuvers and their proximity 
to Taiwan challenges the territorial stability of the island and long-
term peace of the region. It is written that it is for freedom that He 
set us free. Let China hear that in this Congress we will stand with 
those who will stand for liberty.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in monitoring the 
conduct of the Chinese military in the coming weeks.




                          ____________________