[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 910 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 910
Commending the people of Taiwan on holding free and fair democratic
presidential and legislative elections, and congratulating Madame Tsai
Ing-wen on her re-election to the presidency of Taiwan.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 26, 2020
Mr. Yoho (for himself, Mr. Bera, and Mr. Chabot) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Commending the people of Taiwan on holding free and fair democratic
presidential and legislative elections, and congratulating Madame Tsai
Ing-wen on her re-election to the presidency of Taiwan.
Whereas the people of the United States and Taiwan enjoy extensive, close, and
friendly commercial, cultural, and other relations founded in shared
strategic interests and cemented by a commitment to democratic values;
Whereas Taiwan is a free, democratic, and prosperous nation of more than
23,000,000 people and an important contributor to peace and stability
around the world, and its transformation into a robust democracy and a
strong free market economy with a vibrant civil society offers a model
for others in the Indo-Pacific;
Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act (Public Law 96-8; 22 U.S.C. 3301 et seq.),
signed into law on April 10, 1979, codified the basis for continued
commercial, cultural, security, and other relations between the people
of the United States and the people of Taiwan, serves as the foundation
to preserve and promote continued bilateral bonds, and states that it is
the policy of the United States--
(1) to preserve and promote extensive, close, and friendly commercial,
cultural, and other relations between the people of the United States and
the people of Taiwan, as well as the people on the China mainland and all
other peoples of the Western Pacific area;
(2) to declare that peace and stability in the area are in the
political, security, and economic interests of the United States, and are
matters of international concern;
(3) to make clear that the United States decision to establish
diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China rests upon the
expectation that the future of Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means;
(4) to consider any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other
than peaceful means, including by boycotts or embargoes, a threat to the
peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to the
United States;
(5) to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character; and
(6) to maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort
to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or
the social or economic system, of the people of Taiwan;
Whereas the United States and Taiwan have built a strong economic partnership in
which--
(1) the United States is Taiwan's second largest trading partner; and
(2) Taiwan is the 10th largest trading partner of the United States and
a key destination for United States agricultural exports;
Whereas the people of the United States and the people of Taiwan share deep
cultural and personal ties, as exemplified by the large flow of visitors
and exchanges each year and the over 23,000 Taiwanese students who study
in the United States;
Whereas the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural
Representative Office in the United States signed a memorandum of
understanding in June 2015 establishing the Global Cooperation and
Training Framework, under which Taiwan, the United States, and Japan
jointly sponsor training programs to share Taiwan's expertise with
partners around the world, including in the areas of public health, law
enforcement, disaster relief, energy cooperation, women's empowerment,
digital economy and cybersecurity, media literacy, and good governance;
Whereas, in 2019, the United States and Taiwan also launched Indo-Pacific
Democratic Governance Consultations, to help Indo-Pacific countries
address governance challenges, and a new Pacific Islands Dialogue, to
help meet the development needs of Taiwan's diplomatic partners in the
Pacific;
Whereas Taiwan has the expertise, willingness, and capability to engage further
in international efforts to mitigate global challenges related to such
issues as public health, aviation safety, crime, and terrorism, but its
participation in such efforts has been constrained by conditions imposed
by the People's Republic of China;
Whereas successive Congresses have directed the executive branch to develop
strategies to obtain meaningful participation for Taiwan in
international organizations, such as the World Health Organization, the
International Civil Aviation Organization, and the International
Criminal Police Organization (commonly known as ``INTERPOL'');
Whereas the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-409) states
that--
(1) it is United States policy ``to support the close economic,
political, and security relationship between Taiwan and the United
States''; and
(2) the President should--
G (A) ``conduct regular transfers of defense articles to Taiwan that
are tailored to meet the existing and likely future threats from the
People's Republic of China, including supporting the efforts of Taiwan to
develop and integrate asymmetric capabilities, as appropriate, including
mobile, survivable, and cost-effective capabilities, into its military
forces''; and
G (B) ``encourage the travel of high-level United States officials
to Taiwan, in accordance with the Taiwan Travel Act'';
Whereas, in presidential elections held on January 11, 2020, the incumbent
President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, won a second four-year term with the
most votes for a presidential candidate since Taiwan began direct
elections, winning 57.1 percent of the presidential vote; and
Whereas President Tsai stated in her acceptance speech: ``This election has
shown that the Taiwanese people hope the international community will
witness our commitment to democratic values and will respect our
national identity. We also hope that Taiwan will be given a fair
opportunity to participate in international affairs.'': Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) commends the people of Taiwan on holding free and fair
democratic elections on January 11, 2020;
(2) congratulates Madame Tsai Ing-wen on her re-election to
the presidency of Taiwan, wishes her well on her inauguration
on May 20, 2020, and pledges to deepen the relationship between
the peoples of the United States and Taiwan in her second term;
(3) encourages the President to send a high-level official
delegation for President Tsai's second inauguration, consistent
with United States law;
(4) calls upon the United States Government to advocate for
Taiwan's active participation in international organizations,
including the World Health Organization, the International
Civil Aviation Organization, and the International Criminal
Police Organization; and
(5) encourages United States financial support to enhance
Taiwan's international participation through the Global
Cooperation and Training Framework in recognition of our shared
commitment to an open, free, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region
and beyond.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and Nonproliferation.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line