[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 105 (Friday, July 13, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1249-E1250]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIX ASSURANCES AND OF THE LIFTING OF MARTIAL LAW IN 
                                 TAIWAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SHELLEY BERKLEY

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 13, 2012

  Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate two important 
anniversaries that are coming up this July 14th in relation to our 
close friends in Taiwan.
  Since the end of World War Two, the United States and Taiwan have 
fostered a close relationship that has been of enormous strategic and 
economic benefit to both countries. When the United States shifted 
diplomatic relations from Taiwan to the People's Republic of China 
(PRC) in January 1979, Congress moved quickly to pass the Taiwan 
Relations Act (TRA) to ensure that the United States would continue its 
robust engagement with Taiwan in the areas of commerce, culture, and 
security cooperation. On April 10, 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed 
this important and lasting

[[Page E1250]]

piece of legislation into law and it has since served as the statutory 
basis for U.S.-Taiwan relations going forward.
  After 33 years, the TRA still stands as a model of Congressional 
leadership in the history of our foreign relations, and, together with 
the 1982 Six Assurances, it remains the cornerstone of a mutually 
beneficial relationship between the United States and Taiwan. These Six 
Assurances--issued by President Ronald Reagan on July 14, 1982--further 
clarified U.S. policy toward Taiwan, particularly regarding arms sales, 
while reiterating our commitment to Taiwan's security under the TRA and 
reaffirming our position on Taiwan's sovereignty. It also stipulated 
that we would not pressure Taiwan to enter into negotiations with the 
PRC.
  On that same day five years later, martial law was lifted in Taiwan, 
setting the stage for a momentous process of democratization in Taiwan 
that continues to this day. Taiwan now has a robust, boisterous 
parliament, and has seen several peaceful transitions of presidential 
power between parties, based on repeated free and fair elections. They 
have truly joined the world's community of democracies, which has only 
strengthened the friendship between our two peoples.
  Unfortunately, though, Taiwan continues to live day after day under 
the ominous shadow cast by over 1400 short and medium-range ballistic 
missiles that the PRC has aimed at them. The PRC persists in claiming 
Taiwan as a ``renegade province,'' refusing to renounce the use of 
force to prevent Taiwan's formal de jure independence.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in commemorating this 
July 14th as the 30th anniversary of the Six Assurances and the 25th 
anniversary of the lifting of martial law in Taiwan, to further 
underline our unwavering commitment to the people of Taiwan and to 
affirm our support for the strong and deepening relationship between 
the U.S. and Taiwan,

                          ____________________