[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 194 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7800-S7801]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 446--COMMENDING THE GOVERNMENT OF LITHUANIA FOR ITS 
 RESOLVE IN INCREASING TIES WITH TAIWAN AND SUPPORTING ITS FIRM STANCE 
            AGAINST COERCION BY THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY

  Mr. RISCH (for himself and Mrs. Shaheen) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 446

       Whereas, on May 20, 2021, the parliament of Lithuania 
     passed a resolution in which it recognized the People's 
     Republic of China's treatment of the Uyghurs and members of 
     Muslim and minority communities in Xinjiang region as a 
     genocide, called upon the United Nations to investigate the 
     People's Republic of China's internment camps for Uyghurs, 
     and asked the European Commission to review its relationship 
     with the People's Republic of China;
       Whereas, on May 21, 2021, Lithuania withdrew from the 17+1 
     format that facilitates collaboration between Central and 
     Eastern European nations and the People's Republic of China;
       Whereas the 17+1 was designed by the Chinese Communist 
     Party (CCP) to both create business and cultural exchange 
     opportunities for the People's Republic of China, and to 
     divide European nations on sub-regional issues regarding the 
     People's Republic of China;
       Whereas, on June 22, 2021, the Government of Lithuania 
     announced its donation of 20,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan 
     after the People's Republic of China blocked Taiwan from 
     participation in the world-wide COVAX vaccine sharing scheme;
       Whereas, on July 20, 2021, the Government of Lithuania 
     announced the establishment of exchange offices with Taiwan 
     under the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office;
       Whereas the CCP has aggressively punished other 
     organizations and nations for using the name ``Taiwan'' to 
     refer to the island, rather than referring to it by the CCP 
     preferred ``Chinese Taipei'', a practice by which the CCP 
     seeks to force other nations to conform to its view that 
     Taiwan is a part of China;
       Whereas, in retaliation to the Government of Lithuania's 
     announcement of the Taiwanese Representative Office, the CCP 
     implemented severe economic restrictions on Lithuania;
       Whereas, on August 10, 2021, the Government of the People's 
     Republic of China protested the announcement of the new 
     Lithuanian office in Taiwan by recalling its ambassador to 
     Vilnius, and demanding that Lithuania remove its ambassador 
     from Beijing;
       Whereas, on September 4, 2021, Lithuania's Ambassador to 
     China, Diana Mickeviciene, returned to Vilnius;
       Whereas Lithuania's European neighbors and European Union 
     (EU) leaders have commended Lithuania's bravery and have 
     expressed willingness to stand in solidarity with Lithuania's 
     decision, including by issuing a joint letter from European 
     Parliament members on September 3, 2021;
       Whereas, on September 15, 2021, Secretary of State Antony 
     Blinken reaffirmed the United States commitment to Lithuania, 
     stating, ``Lithuania and the United States are very strong 
     partners in NATO. We stand together for collective defense 
     and security. We stand against economic coercion, including 
     that being exerted by China.'';
       Whereas, on September 21, 2021, the Ministry of National 
     Defence in Lithuania recommended that citizens not purchase 
     phones manufactured in the People's Republic of China and 
     throw away their existing phones, after evidence emerged that 
     the devices have censorship technology built in;
       Whereas, on September 22, 2021, the Government of Lithuania 
     announced an additional vaccine donation to Taiwan totaling 
     235,900 doses;
       Whereas the People's Republic of China has engaged in 
     economic coercion to punish countries that do not do as the 
     CCP wishes, including by banning the import of Australian 
     wine and agricultural products after the Government of 
     Australia supported launching an international investigation 
     into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, closing South 
     Korean department stores and tourism after the Republic of 
     Korea deployed the United States Terminal High Altitude Area 
     Defense missile battery, restricting imports from the 
     Philippines after that nation protested the People's Republic 
     of China's assertive and unlawful actions in Scarborough 
     Shoal, and cutting the imports of Norwegian salmon after 
     Norway awarded a Chinese dissident with the Nobel Prize;
       Whereas the CCP regularly uses its economic power to 
     pressure Taiwan's diplomatic allies to cut ties with the 
     island and instead diplomatically recognize the People's 
     Republic of China, as was it did most recently with the 
     Solomon Islands and Kiribati, leaving Taiwan with just 15 
     diplomatic allies; and
       Whereas the CCP has repeatedly and continuously barred 
     Taiwan from meaningful participation in key international 
     organizations such as the World Health Organization, 
     International Civil Aviation Organization, and other United 
     Nations organizations and affiliated mechanisms in an attempt 
     to diplomatically isolate Taiwan: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commends the Government of Lithuania for its decision 
     to deepen ties with Taiwan and standing up to the Chinese 
     Communist Party's unfair coercion and pressure;
       (2) commits to supporting Lithuania and Taiwan in the face 
     of these challenges, including by exploring ways to increase 
     economic cooperation with both countries;
       (3) encourages European allies to continue to stand in 
     solidarity with Lithuania against aggression from the 
     Government of the People's Republic of China;
       (4) encourages the Lithuanian business community to 
     continue to seek opportunities for investment and growth with 
     reliable partners outside of the People's Republic of China's 
     abusive economic system;
       (5) expresses concern with the CCP's aggressive actions and 
     attempts to influence

[[Page S7801]]

     bilateral relations between governments attempting to build 
     positive ties with Taiwan, a beacon of democracy in the Indo-
     Pacific and a key United States partner; and
       (6) supports Taiwan in its struggle against CCP malign 
     influence, coercion, and aggression, which threatens not only 
     the Taiwanese people and countries in the Indo-Pacific, but 
     also any nation around the world that enacts policies or 
     positions that are inconsistent with those of the CCP.

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