For Immediate Release
Washington DC – April 3, 2012
Contact: (202) 547-3686
Members Of Congress Commemorate 33rd Anniversary Of The Taiwan Relations Act
In anticipation of the 33rd anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), United States Congressmen Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Edolphus Towns (D-NY) last week inserted remarks into the Congressional Record to commemorate the law’s enactment on April 10, 1979, and to underscore the centrality of the TRA in the longstanding strategic partnership between the U.S. and Taiwan.
Reps. McCaul and Towns issued statements on March 29 and March 30, respectively, each citing the TRA as an enduring model of congressional leadership in U.S. foreign policy.
Rep. McCaul said that the TRA, together with the 1982 ‘Six Assurances,’ remains “the cornerstone of a very mutually beneficial relationship between the United States and Taiwan,” He pointed out that: “Through three decades marked by momentous social, economic, and political transformations, Taiwan has remained a trusted ally of the United States that now shares with us the ideals of freedom, democracy and self-determination.”
Highlighting the “ominous shadow” of 1400 Chinese missiles under which Taiwan practices its democracy, Rep. Towns emphasized: “The TRA affirmed that the United States’ decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China was based on the expectation that the future of Taiwan would be determined by peaceful means.”
FAPA President Mark Kao, Ph.D. welcomes the congressional comments, saying: “The Taiwan Relations Act, along with the President Reagan’s Six Assurances a few years later, has for over 30 years enabled the U.S. to cultivate its strategic relationship with Taiwan and to demonstrate our support for Taiwanese people’s right to self-determination.”
Dr. Kao continues: “However, the manner in which the TRA has been implemented in recent years does not adequately reflect the remarkable political transformation that Taiwan has undergone, or the exponentially increased level of military aggression demonstrated by the People ‘s Republic of China since 1979.”
Dr. Kao concludes: “We therefore welcome the introduction by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) of the Taiwan Policy Act (H.R. 2918). This bill will strengthen and upgrade our U.S. policy within the TRA framework by ensuring that the Six Assurances continues to be a core component of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, and reaffirming the principle that the future of Taiwan must be determined with the assent of the people of Taiwan.”
The Taiwan Policy Act was passed by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in November 2011. It is expected to go to the House floor for a vote in the near future.
眾議員紀念台灣關係法立法33週年
時值台灣關係法(Taiwan Relations Act)頒布33週年前夕，美國國會德州共和黨眾議員麥考(Michael McCaul, R-TX)及紐約州民主黨眾議員唐斯(Edolphus Towns, D-NY)於上週在國會紀錄中發表延伸發言，紀念1979年4月10日設立的台灣關係法，並強調該法在台美長期策略關係中的中心地位
眾議員麥考及眾議員唐斯分別於3月29日及30日發表了延伸發言，標榜台灣關係法為國會在美國外交政策上扮演領導角色的良好典範。
眾議員麥考表示，台灣關係法與1982年的「六項保證」，仍然是「美台互利互惠關係的基石」。他指出:「過去的30年，台灣在經過重大的社經及政治上的轉變之後，仍然是美國可信任的夥伴。現在台灣更與我們共享自由、民主及人民自決的理想價值。」
除了指出台灣必須在1400枚中國飛彈威脅陰影下實行其民主， 眾議員唐斯強調:「台灣關係法重申美國與中華人民共和國建交的決定，是立基於台灣的未來必須以和平方式解決的期望之上。」
台灣人公共事務會會長高龍榮歡迎這些延伸發言。他表示：「台灣關係法與數年後雷根總統提出的六項保證，在過去的30多年確保了美國與台灣持續發展策略關係，並對台灣人民的人民自決權表示支持。」
他補充：「但是，台灣關係法在近幾年來的執行方式，相對於台灣自1979年至今所經歷，令人刮目相看的政治轉變，或中華人民共和國對台急速增長的武力威脅，已見短絀。」
他最後指出：「因此，我們歡迎由佛羅里達州共和黨眾議員羅絲雷緹南(Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL))所提出的台灣政策法案(H.R. 2918)。該法案將加強並增進台灣關係法框架下的美國外交政策，確保六項保證仍為美台關係中的核心要素，並再次重申台灣的未來必須由台灣人民一致決定的原則。」
由眾議院外交委員會於2011年11月所通過的台灣政策法案，近期將會提交眾議院接受表決。
HON. MICHAEL T. McCAUL
OF TEXAS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Friday, March 30, 2012
Mr. MCCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act.
Since the end of World War II, the United States and Taiwan have fostered a close relationship that has been of enormous strategic and economic benefit to both countries. When the United States shifted diplomatic relations from Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China in January 1979, Congress moved quickly to pass the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) to ensure that the United States would continue its robust engagement with Taiwan in the areas of commerce, culture, and security cooperation. With President Carter’s signature on April 10, 1979, this important and lasting piece of legislation became the Law of the Land and served as the statutory basis for U.S.-Taiwan relations going forward.
After 33 years, the TRA still stands as a model of congressional leadership in the history of our foreign relation, and, together with the 1982 “Six Assurances,” it remains the cornerstone of a very mutually beneficial relationship between the United States and Taiwan.
Through three decades marked by momentous social, economic, and political transformations, Taiwan has remained a trusted ally of the United States that now shares with us the ideals of freedom, democracy and self-determination. The foresight of the TRA’s drafters in providing that “the United States will make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services . . . to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability,” and affirming “the preservation and enhancement of the human rights of all the people on Taiwan” as explicit objectives of the United States, has contributed in large measure to make Taiwan what it is today — a vibrant, open society governed by democratic institutions.
Though the people of Taiwan now enjoy fundamental human rights and civil liberties, they continue to live day after day under the ominous shadow cast by over 1400 short and medium-range ballistic missiles that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has aimed at them. The PRC persists in claiming Taiwan as a “renegade province,” refusing to renounce the use of force to prevent formal de jure independence, even codifying its right to military action via passage of the so-called “Anti-Secession Law” on March 14, 2005. The United States Congress strongly condemned the “Anti-Secession Law” in House Concurrent Resolution 98, passed on March 16, 2005.
The TRA affirmed that the United States’ decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China was based on the expectation that the future of Taiwan would be determined by peaceful means. Furthermore, it stipulates that it is the policy of the United States “to consider any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means . . . a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to the United States.”
The unambiguous and principled stance contained in these provisions has been instrumental to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait for more than thirty years, in spite of the growing military threat posed by the PRC.
I therefore invite my colleagues to join me in commemorating the 33rd anniversary of the TRA, to further underline our unwavering commitment to the TRA and our support for the strong and deepening relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan .
HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS
OF NEW YORK
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act.
Since the end of World War II, the United States and Taiwan have fostered a close relationship that has been of enormous strategic and economic benefit to both countries. When the United States shifted diplomatic relations from Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China in January 1979, Congress moved quickly to pass the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) to ensure that the United States would continue its robust engagement with Taiwan in the areas of commerce, culture, and security cooperation. With President Carter’s signature on April 10, 1979, this important and lasting piece of legislation became the Law of the Land and served as the statutory basis for U.S.-Taiwan relations going forward.
After 33 years, the TRA still stands as a model of congressional leadership in the history of our foreign relations and remains the cornerstone of a very mutually beneficial relationship between the United States and Taiwan . Through three decades marked by momentous social, economic, and political transformations, Taiwan has remained a trusted ally of the United States that now shares with us the ideals of freedom and democracy. The foresight of the TRA’s drafters in providing that “the United States will make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services ….. to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability,” and affirming “the preservation and enhancement of the human rights of all the people on Taiwan” as explicit objectives of the United States, has contributed in large measure to make Taiwan what it is today — a vibrant, open society governed by democratic institutions.
Though the people of Taiwan now enjoy fundamental human rights and civil liberties, they continue to live day after day under the ominous shadow cast by over 1400 short and medium-range ballistic missiles that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has aimed at them. The PRC persists in claiming Taiwan as a “renegade province,” refusing to renounce the use of force to prevent formal de jure independence, even codifying its right to military action via the passage of the so-called “Anti-Secession Law” on March 14, 2005. The United States Congress strongly condemned the “Anti-Secession Law” in House Concurrent Resolution 98, passed on March 16, 2005.
The TRA affirmed that the United States’ decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China was based on the expectation that the future of Taiwan would be determined by peaceful means. Furthermore, it stipulates that it is the policy of the United States “to consider any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means ….. a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to the United States.” The unambiguous and principled stance contained in these provisions has been instrumental to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait for more than thirty years.
I therefore invite my colleagues to join me in commemorating the 33rd anniversary of the TRA, to further underline our unwavering commitment to the TRA and our support for the strong and deepening relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan.
