[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 148 (Friday, November 15, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2067]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TAIWAN RELATIONS ACT SHOULD BE CORNERSTONE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH 
                                 TAIWAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. STEVE CHABOT

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 14, 2002

  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to our ``One 
China'' policy and its inability to deal with the current situation in 
the Taiwan Strait. Since the adoption of the 1972 Shanghai Communique, 
the United States acknowledges that ``all Chinese on either side of the 
Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part 
of China.''
  This ``One China'' policy, however, does not reflect the reality of 
Taiwan's maturation into a vibrant democracy. As the distinguished 
Majority Whip stated in March 2000 in an address to a Center for 
Strategic and International Studies forum, * * * We must discard old 
policies that no longer have credibility because they are no longer 
true * * * whatever utility the ``One China'' policy diplomatic fiction 
might have had twenty five years ago has been erased by the new 
reality. Currently there are two states: one being the free, 
democratic, and peace-loving state of Taiwan. The other is the 
authoritarian communist regime of the People's Republic of China.''
  The PRC, established in 1949, has not for a single day exercised 
sovereignty over Taiwan. And, in 1991, Taiwan's Kuomintang Party 
relinquished all claims to being the sole, legitimate government of 
China. Subsequently, former President Lee Teng Hui, in 1999, referred 
to cross-strait relations as a ``state to state relationship.'' While 
this exemplifies a distinction of two separate governments, the U.S. 
position on this matter remains an influential factor in the peaceful 
resolution between both sides.
  For the past twenty-five years, the U.S. has exercised a delicate 
diplomacy in which it fails to send consistent messages toward the East 
Asia region. Little progress has been achieved in our relations with 
both China and Taiwan because of the various interpretations regarding 
the ``One China'' policy.
  The United States cannot under any circumstances allow the People's 
Republic of China to impose a communist future on Taiwan. The ``One 
China'' policy undermines our actions and commitments; rather than 
clinging to old relics of the cold war era, let us reaffirm our 
dedication to democratic ideals in the new millennium.
  We must redirect our attention toward fulfilling our obligations to 
Taiwan, as spelled out in the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act. In the Taiwan 
Relations Act, the United States pledges a full commitment to the 
defense and security of Taiwan in the event of Chinese aggression. 
Clearly, the Taiwan Relations Act should be the cornerstone of our 
relationship with Taiwan--not the obsolete ``One China'' policy.




                          ____________________