[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 91 (Tuesday, June 9, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E860-E861]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            A TRIBUTE TO THE ENDURING U.S./TAIWAN FRIENDSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT A. BRADY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 9, 2015

  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call for 
greater support for closer U.S./Taiwan relationship. Taiwan is an 
important economic and security partner, and as an advanced industrial 
economy, has much to contribute to the world. I would also like to take 
this opportunity to share a speech entitled ``True Friendship Lasts 
Forever'' addressed by Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou on June 2, 2015, 
at a video conference at Stanford University. In his speech, President 
Ma delineated the importance of future cooperation opportunities 
between our two countries. Below is the summary of President Ma's 
speech. For the full transcript, please visit the website of the office 
of the President of the Republic of China: http://www.president.gov.tw.
 Summary of President Ma's remarks:
  ``This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. In 
July 1937, two years before WWII broke out, ROC forces began fighting 
against Japanese aggression alone, and for four long years, they 
continued with virtually no outside help. It wasn't until the Pearl 
Harbor attack in December 1941 that the ROC joined forces with the 
Allies to declare war against Japan, Germany, and Italy.
  The United States proved to be a staunch friend. The most notable 
example of that friendship was the American Volunteer Group (AVG), 
organized in 1941 even before the Pearl Harbor attack, a group that 
became legendary by their nickname: The Flying Tigers.
  During the Cold War period following World War II, the friendship 
between the ROC and the U.S. flourished, as the U.S. continued to help 
us militarily while providing economic assistance. Between 1950 and 
1965, that assistance included U.S. $1.5 billion in economic aid, which 
is probably worth at least 12 billion now.
  Although the ROC and U.S. severed diplomatic ties in 1979, barely 
three months later, the U.S. Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act 
(TRA). Under that Act, Taiwan is treated as a foreign government for 
purposes of U.S. law and in U.S. courts. The Act also requires the U.S. 
to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons.
  Since I came into office in 2008, mutual ROC-U.S. trust has been 
restored at the highest levels of government. And over the past two 
years, there have been frequent, reciprocal visits by high-level 
officials.
  In April of last year, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
Administrator Gina McCarthy visited Taiwan, and Charles Rivkin, 
Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs is 
visiting Taiwan now. At the same time, heads of various ROC government 
agencies have visited the U.S., so there is a solid foundation of 
mutual trust there.
  The ROC is also gaining more support in Congress. Just last month 
during deliberations on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 
for Fiscal Year 2016, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees 
both passed initiatives that call for increased U.S.-ROC military 
exchanges.
  In addition to strong security ties, Taiwan-U.S. trade relations have 
also made significant progress over the last few years. In March of 
2013, after a five-year hiatus, we reopened negotiations with the U.S. 
under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), a platform 
set up in 1994 to facilitate talks in trade and investment matters. We 
have continued bilateral consultations in a series of 12 work 
conferences, and have made significant progress. As of the end of this 
March, the ROC is America's 10th largest trading partner, surpassing 
Brazil and Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. is Taiwan's third largest, after 
mainland China and Japan.
  Let me turn to cross-strait relations. Over the past seven years, 
Taiwan and mainland China have signed 21 agreements. In April last 
year, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific 
Affairs Daniel Russel said in Congress that ``As a general matter, we 
very much welcome and applaud the extraordinary progress that has 
occurred in cross-strait relations under the Ma administration.''
  In addition to seeking stable development in cross-strait and ROC-
U.S. relations, Taiwan has also taken concrete actions over the past 
few years to be a regional peacemaker in both the East China Sea, and 
the South China Sea. Back in August of 2012, I proposed the East China 
Sea Peace Initiative. That Initiative asks stakeholders to forgo 
conflict in favor of peaceful negotiations, and emphasizes cooperation 
in sharing resources. Eight months later in April of 2013, Taiwan and 
Japan signed a fisheries agreement that embodies the spirit of that 
Initiative, and solved a fisheries dispute between Taiwan and Japan 
that has troubled both countries for 40 years. Secretary of State John 
Kerry has publicly stated that the ROC-Japan fisheries agreement is a 
model for promoting regional stability, and that the principles at the 
heart of the East China Sea Peace Initiative apply to all of the waters 
in Asia.
  On the 26th of last month, I formally announced the South China Sea 
Peace Initiative, hoping that the relevant parties will: ``shelve 
sovereignty dispute, pursue peace and reciprocity, and promote joint 
exploration and development.'' By upholding those principles, we hope 
that all the parties involved will work together to maintain regional 
peace and promote regional development. Immediately, a U.S. State 
Department official stated that the

[[Page E861]]

U.S. appreciates the proposals in the South China Sea Peace Initiative. 
I sincerely hope that all of the outstanding scholars and experts 
gathered here will support the pursuit of peace that I've presented 
today.''
  Mr. Speaker, I highly recommend that all of my colleagues review 
President Ma's important remarks and that we continue to work to 
strengthen the bonds of friendship between the people of the United 
States and of the ROC.

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