[114th Congress Public Law 139]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



[[Page 313]]

                     TAIWAN INTERPOL OBSERVER STATUS

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Public Law 114-139
114th Congress

                                 An Act


 
    To direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to obtain 
    observer status for Taiwan in the International Criminal Police 
   Organization, and for other purposes. <<NOTE: Mar. 18, 2016 -  [S. 
                                2426]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL 
                              POLICE ORGANIZATION.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Safety, security and peace is important to every citizen 
        of the world, and shared information ensuring wide assistance 
        among police authorities of nations for expeditious 
        dissemination of information regarding criminal activities 
        greatly assists in these efforts.
            (2) Direct and unobstructed participation in the 
        International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) is 
        beneficial for all nations and their police authorities. 
        Internationally shared information with authorized police 
        authorities is vital to peacekeeping efforts.
            (3) With a history dating back to 1914, the role of INTERPOL 
        is defined in its constitution: ``To ensure and promote the 
        widest possible mutual assistance between all criminal police 
        authorities within the limits of the laws existing in the 
        different countries and in the spirit of the Universal 
        Declaration of Human Rights.''.
            (4) Ongoing international threats, including international 
        networks of terrorism, show the ongoing necessity to be ever 
        inclusive of nations willing to work together to combat criminal 
        activity. The ability of police authorities to coordinate, 
        preempt, and act swiftly and in unison is an essential element 
        of crisis prevention and response.
            (5) Taiwan maintained full membership in INTERPOL starting 
        in 1964 through its National Police Administration but was 
        ejected in 1984 when the People's Republic of China (PRC) 
        applied for membership.
            (6) Nonmembership prevents Taiwan from gaining access to 
        INTERPOL's I-24/7 global police communications system, which 
        provides real-time information on criminals and global criminal 
        activities. Taiwan is relegated to second-hand information from 
        friendly nations, including the United States.
            (7) Taiwan is unable to swiftly share information on 
        criminals and suspicious activity with the international 
        community, leaving a huge void in the global crime-fighting 
        efforts and leaving the entire world at risk.

[[Page 130 STAT. 315]]

            (8) The United States, in the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review, 
        declared its intention to support Taiwan's participation in 
        appropriate international organizations and has consistently 
        reiterated that support.
            (9) Following the enactment of Public Law 108-235, a law 
        authorizing the Secretary of State to initiate and implement a 
        plan to endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the 
        annual summit of the World Health Assembly and subsequent 
        advocacy by the United States, Taiwan was granted observer 
        status to the World Health Assembly for six consecutive years 
        since 2009. Both prior to and in its capacity as an observer, 
        Taiwan has contributed significantly to the international 
        community's collective efforts in pandemic control, monitoring, 
        early warning, and other related matters.
            (10) INTERPOL's constitution allows for observers at its 
        meetings by ``police bodies which are not members of the 
        Organization''.

    (b) Taiwan's Participation in INTERPOL.--The Secretary of State 
shall--
            (1) develop a strategy to obtain observer status for Taiwan 
        in INTERPOL and at other related meetings, activities, and 
        mechanisms thereafter; and
            (2) instruct INTERPOL Washington to officially request 
        observer status for Taiwan in INTERPOL and to actively urge 
        INTERPOL member states to support such observer status and 
        participation for Taiwan.

    (c) Report Concerning Observer Status for Taiwan in INTERPOL.--Not 
later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary shall transmit to Congress a report, in unclassified form, 
describing the United States strategy to endorse and obtain observer 
status for Taiwan in appropriate international organizations, including 
INTERPOL, and at other related meetings, activities, and mechanisms 
thereafter. The report shall include the following:
            (1) A description of the efforts the Secretary has made to 
        encourage member states to promote Taiwan's bid to obtain 
        observer status in appropriate international organizations, 
        including INTERPOL.
            (2) A description of the actions the Secretary will take to 
        endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan in appropriate

[[Page 130 STAT. 316]]

        international organizations, including INTERPOL, and at other 
        related meetings, activities, and mechanisms thereafter.

    Approved March 18, 2016.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 2426:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 162 (2016):
            Mar. 8, considered and passed Senate.
            Mar. 14, considered and passed House.

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