House Passes Taiwan Safety and Security Amendment

Washington, 23 July 1999

On Thursday, 22 July 1999, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment to House Resolution 2415, the Embassy Security Act, which is part of the State Department Authorization process.

The amendment commends Taiwan for its tradition of democracy, and expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should publicly urge China to renounce the use of military force against Taiwan, and that the US should help defend Taiwan in case of threats or a military attack by China.

The Resolution was introduced by a bi-partisan group of Congressmen led by Repr. Robert Andrews (D-NJ). Other cosponsors included Peter Deutsch (D-FL), Michael McNulty (D-NY), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), David Wu (D-OR), Michael Bilirakis (R-FL).

United States House of Representatives

July 23, 1999

Sec. 703 Sense of Congress

that the President should seek a public renunciation by the People's Republic of China of any use of force, or threat to use force, against Taiwan, and that the United States should help Taiwan in case of threats or a military attack by the People's Republic of China.

(a) Finding-

The Congress makes the following findings:

1. In March of 1996 the political leadership of the People's Republic of China used provocative military maneuvers, including missile launch exercises in the Taiwan Strait, in an attempt to intimidate the people of Taiwan during their historic, free, and democratic presidential elections.
2. The People's Republic of China refuses to renounce the use of force against Taiwan.
3. The House of Representatives passed a resolution by a vote of 411-0 in June 1998 urging the President to seek, during his July 1998 summit meeting in Beijing, a public renunciation by the People's Republic of China of any use of force, or threat of use of force, against democratic Taiwan.
4. Senior United States executive branch officials have called upon the People's Republic of China to renounce the use of force against Taiwan.
5. The use of force, and the threat to use force, by the People's Republic of China against Taiwan threatens peace and stability in the region.
6. The Taiwan Relations Act, enacted in 1979, states that `[i]t is the policy of the United States . . 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."
7. The Taiwan Relations Act states that it is the policy of the United States to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character:

(b) Sense of Congress-

It is the sense of the Congress that-

1. the President of the United States should seek a public renunciation by the People's Republic of China of any use of force, or threat to use force, against Taiwan; and
2. the United States should help Taiwan defend itself in case of threats or a military attack by the People's Republic of China against Taiwan.