For Immediate Release
Washington DC – October 16, 2009
Contact: (202) 547-3686
Future Of Taiwan Should Be Determined With The Express Consent Of The People Of Taiwan
House Armed Services Committee member and a long-time friend of Taiwan, Congressman Robert Andrews (D-NJ), introduced House Concurrent Resolution 200 last night “expressing the sense of Congress regarding the freedom, security, and stability of Taiwan.”
The resolution concludes that it is the sense of Congress that– (1) grave concerns exist concerning the continued deployment by the People’s Republic of China of over 1400 ballistic missiles directed toward Taiwan, which threaten the security and stability in the Taiwan Strait; (2) the President should seek a public and unequivocal renunciation from the leaders of the People’s Republic of China of any threat or use of force against Taiwan; (3) the future of Taiwan should be determined free from coercion by the People’s Republic of China, peacefully, and with the express consent of the people of Taiwan.
The resolution highlights China’s coercion and increasing military threat against Taiwan and refers to the latest Pentagon report on the Chinese military power and to the passage by China of the anti-secession law in 2005 that drew a severe rebuke from the U.S. Congress.
The 2009 Pentagon Report warns that the People’s Liberation Army’s military modernization “could in the future be used to pressure Taiwan toward a settlement of the cross-Strait dispute on Beijing’s terms while simultaneously attempting to deter, delay, or deny any possible U.S. support for the island in case of conflict.”
The House of Representatives characterized the China’s passage of the Anti-Secession Law at the time as “a unilateral change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.”
The resolution also invokes pertinent sections of the Taiwan Relations Act, “which is the cornerstone of United States-Taiwan relations,” which reaffirms the U.S. commitment to Taiwan’s security.
FAPA President Bob Yang, Ph.D. states, “The fact that Rep. Andrews is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee adds to the relevance and importance of this resolution. Taiwan’s security interests are intricately interwoven with those of the U.S. in the region.”
Yang continues, “In addition to the military threat, China is now also gaining tremendous economic leverage over Taiwan. China’s dual strategy of economic and military coercion to compel Taiwan into submission has alarmed many Taiwan supporters in the U.S. Congress.”
Dr. Yang concludes: “The missiles that China has targeted at the 23 million peace-loving people of Taiwan are the equivalent of China putting a gun to the heads of the people of Taiwan. They are the clearest and strongest indicator of China’s real intentions vis-à-vis Taiwan. The people of Taiwan live under a constant dark cloud of threats, intimidation and harassment. It is not only high time that Beijing remove its missiles, it is time that the people of Taiwan be able to determine their own future free from fear.”
美國眾議員提出決議案，支持台灣前途應獲得台灣人民同意
眾議院軍事委員會委員，也是台灣長期友人，安德魯斯眾議員(Robert Andrews, D-New Jersey)於昨晚(15日)就台灣自由、安全與穩定提出第200號決議案。
決議案表示: (1)（美國國會）嚴重關切中華人民共和國超過一千四百枚的導道飛彈佈署瞄準台灣，此舉威脅台灣海峽安全與穩定；(2) 美國總統應尋求中華人民共和國領導人公開並清楚地宣示放棄威脅或武力犯台；(3) 台灣前途必須在不受中華人民共和國的威脅下，獲得台灣人民的明示同意。
決議案並引用美國國防部近期的中國軍力報告，並提及中國於2005年通過的反分裂法，引來美國國會的嚴厲讉責，以突顯出中國恐嚇台灣技倆與日益增強的軍事威脅。
決議案提到，美國國防部在2009年的報告裡公開警告「中國人民解放軍的軍事現代化極有可能在未來台海爭端上，壓迫台灣接受北京的要求，並同時嚇阻、拖延、或是阻礙任何美國可能在台海戰事中台灣的協助。」
決議案也表示，美國國會曾在2005年的一項決議案裡表示，中國通過反分裂法是「片面改變台海現狀。」
決議案並引用台灣關係法裡數項重要條文，重申美國對台灣安全的承諾。
FAPA會長楊英育表示：「由於安德魯斯議員身為資深眾議院軍事委員會員，熟稔軍事與安全議題，更彰顯這項決議案的相關性與重要性。」
楊英育繼續表示：「中國除了對台武力威脅外，也開始積極透過經濟誘引來施壓台灣。許多美國國會台灣友人已經警覺到這個雙管齊下，透過軍事、經貿脅迫策略逼使台灣臣服於中國之下的現象。」
楊英育最後表示：「中國以飛彈瞄準台灣二千三百萬人民，就好像拿著一把槍對著台灣人民的腦袋。這才是中國對台灣再清楚也不過的強烈意圖。台灣人民活在威脅、恐嚇和騷擾的陰影之下。我們呼籲現在正是北京撤退飛彈的時候，現在正是台灣人民在不受恐懼之下決定他們前途的時候。」
H.Con.Res.200
