[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 15, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3713-S3714]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

  SENATE RESOLUTION 687--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING 
UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 2758 (XXVI) AND THE HARMFUL 
 CONFLATION OF CHINA'S ``ONE CHINA PRINCIPLE'' AND THE UNITED STATES' 
                          ``ONE CHINA POLICY''

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

                              S. Res. 687

       Whereas on October 25, 1971, United Nations General 
     Assembly passed resolution 2758, which recognizes the 
     Government of the People's Republic of China (referred to in 
     this preamble as the ``PRC'') as the representative of the 
     member state``China'' in the United Nations;
       Whereas the purpose of resolution 2758 was to address the 
     question of which government would represent the ``China'' 
     seat at the United Nations, and not to address any other 
     issues, including issues related to Taiwan's ultimate 
     political status;
       Whereas the PRC has recently linked resolution 2758 with 
     its ``One China Principle'' and has claimed that resolution 
     2758 addresses the matter of Taiwan's sovereignty;
       Whereas the ``One China Principle'' is a policy held by the 
     Chinese Communist Party that--
       (1) the PRC is the sole sovereign nation using the name 
     ``China''; and
       (2) Taiwan is an inalienable part of China;
       Whereas resolution 2758 did not endorse and is not 
     equivalent to the ``One China Principle'' and countries that 
     supported resolution 2758 do not necessarily accept the ``One 
     China Principle'';
       Whereas resolution 2758 does not represent an international 
     consensus regarding the PRC's stance that Taiwan is part of 
     China;
       Whereas PRC officials misrepresent resolution 2758 by 
     claiming the adoption of resolution 2758 implies acceptance 
     of the ``One China Principle'' and the PRC's claims to 
     Taiwan;
       Whereas the PRC misleadingly claims that countries with a 
     ``one China policy'' have accepted and abide by the PRC's 
     ``One China Principle'';
       Whereas Daniel Kritenbrink, Assistant Secretary of State, 
     Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, testified before the 
     Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate in 2024 that the 
     PRC ``misused and misinterpreted'' resolution 2758 to 
     influence countries to change their diplomatic recognition to 
     the PRC;
       Whereas the ``one China policy'' of the United States 
     acknowledges the PRC's ``One China Principle'', but affirms 
     that--
       (1) the United States does not take a position on Taiwan's 
     status; and
       (2) this issue should be resolved peacefully by the people 
     on both sides of the Taiwan Strait;
       Whereas in 1982, during the administration of President 
     Ronald Reagan, the United States conveyed Six Assurances to 
     Taiwan's President Chiang Ching-kuo, including that the 
     United States had not changed its stance on Taiwan's 
     sovereignty, and each subsequent United States presidential 
     administration has reaffirmed these Six Assurances;
       Whereas Taiwan has established representative offices in 
     more than 60 countries and at the European Union and the 
     World Trade Organization, which disproves the PRC's claim of 
     a unified United Nations position or international consensus 
     on Taiwan's status;
       Whereas the PRC has weaponized resolution 2758 and the 
     ``One China Principle'' to isolate Taiwan and to prevent its 
     meaningful participation at the United Nations, United 
     Nations-affiliated agencies, and other international fora, 
     including at the World Health Organization, the International 
     Civil Aviation Organization, and Interpol;
       Whereas the PRC has bolstered its claims and engaged in 
     revisionist history by successfully altering historic United 
     Nations documents to changes references to ``Taiwan'' to 
     ``Taiwan, Province of China'';
       Whereas in 2005, the Secretary of the World Health 
     Organization signed a memorandum of understanding with the 
     PRC Ministry of Health regarding how the World Health 
     Organization would engage with Taiwan, which included a 
     requirement that communication with Taiwan go through the 
     PRC;
       Whereas United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon cited 
     resolution 2758 when refusing Taiwan's accession to the 
     United Nations in 2007, based on the incorrect assertion that 
     resolution 2758 supports China's claim that Taiwan is part of 
     China;
       Whereas the United Nations has used resolution 2758 as a 
     justification for requiring Taiwanese citizens, including 
     those with official invitations to attend United Nations 
     events, journalists, and representatives of nongovernmental 
     organizations, to obtain PRC-issued Taiwan Compatriot Permits 
     in addition to their passport or a PRC passport to gain entry 
     to United Nations facilities;
       Whereas Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a 
     statement in 2021, which identified the United Nations' 
     exclusion of Taiwanese civil society members and emphasized 
     that denying entry to such individuals undermines the work of 
     the United Nations;
       Whereas, in 2022, Robert O'Brien, former United States 
     National Security Advisor, stated that--
       (1) the PRC manipulates resolution 2758 to make false 
     claims regarding Taiwan's status in order ``to undermine the 
     international order and the international system''; and
       (2) resolution 2758 ``relates solely to the occupancy of 
     the China seat at the United Nations and nothing more'';
       Whereas in August 2023, the Central American Parliament 
     (also known as ``PARLACEN'') expelled Taiwan, after more than 
     20 years as a permanent observer, from holding such status at 
     its sessions and falsely claimed that resolution 2758 deemed 
     Taiwan a ``province of mainland China, which disqualifies it 
     from participating as an Independent country'';
       Whereas since 2016, the PRC has successfully induced or 
     pressured 10 nations: Sao Tome and Principe, Panama, the 
     Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Burkina Faso, Kiribati, 
     Solomon Islands, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Nauru, to cut 
     diplomatic ties with Taiwan; and
       Whereas the PRC cites resolution 2758 as a justification to 
     coerce, intimidate, or punish sovereign nations for 
     engagement and partnership with Taiwan: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) reaffirms that the longstanding ``one China policy'' of 
     the United States does not affirmatively recognize the 
     People's Republic of China's claim to control over Taiwan and 
     its outlying islands, but rather ``acknowledges'' this 
     position, reaffirms the interest of the United States in a 
     peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues, ``has not agreed 
     to take any position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan'', and 
     ``will not exert pressure on Taiwan to enter into 
     negotiations with the PRC'';
       (2) reaffirms that the ``one China policy'' of the United 
     States and the similar policies of its partners are not 
     equivalent to the ``One China Principle'' of the Chinese 
     Communist Party;
       (3) emphasizes that United Nations General Assembly 
     resolution 2758 is not equivalent to, and does not endorse, 
     the PRC's ``One China Principle'';
       (4) emphasizes further that resolution 2758 does not take a 
     position on Taiwan's ultimate political status, as explicitly 
     recognized by PRC leaders at the time, and does not represent 
     a United Nations consensus on Taiwan's status;
       (5) opposes China's use of the ``One China Principle'' to 
     coerce the United States, Taiwan, and other countries to 
     accept its claims over Taiwan;

[[Page S3714]]

       (6) supports Taiwan's diplomatic allies in continuing 
     official relationships with Taiwan, and other nations across 
     the world in strengthening their partnership with Taiwan;
       (7) reaffirms support for Taiwan's membership in 
     international organizations for which statehood is not a 
     requirement for membership and encourages meaningful 
     participation for Taiwan in organizations in which its 
     membership is not possible;
       (8) encourages the United States Government to work with 
     partners on joint efforts to counter China's false narratives 
     about resolution 2758; and
       (9) supports the efforts of other countries to 
     differentiate between their policies and the ``One China 
     Principle'' to counter China's propaganda about international 
     views of Taiwan.

                          ____________________