1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 3 through a fully democratically elected legisla ture and chief executive; (B) declare that the continued lack of a fully democratically elected legislature in Hong Kong is contrary to the vision of democracy set forth in the Agreement between the Govern ment of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong, done at Beijing on December 19, 1984 (the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984); and (C) call upon the Government of the Peo ple's Republic of China to honor its treaty obli gations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984. Reaffirming unwavering commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act, and for other purposes. Mr. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HYDE Sub submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on for himself, and Mr. Lautos CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Reaffirming unwavering commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act, and for other purposes. Whereas April 10, 2004, marked the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act (22 U.S.C. 3301 et seq.), codifying in law the basis for continued commercial, cultural, and other relations between the United States and Taiwan; Whereas it is and will continue to be United States policy to further encourage and expand these extensive commercial, cultural, and other relations between the people of the United States and the people of Taiwan during the next quarter century; 2 H.L.C. Whereas since its enactment in 1979 the Taiwan Relations Act has been instrumental in maintaining peace, security, and stability in the Taiwan Strait; Whereas when the Taiwan Relations Act was enacted, it affirmed that the decision of the United States 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; Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China refuses to renounce the use of force against Taiwan; Whereas the Department of Defense report entitled "Annual Report on the Military Power of the People's Republic of China," dated July 30, 2003, documents that the Government of the People's Republic of China is seeking coercive military options to resolve the Taiwan issue and, as of the date of the report, has deployed approximately 450 short-range ballistic missiles against Taiwan and is adding 75 missiles per year to this arsenal; Whereas the escalating arms buildup of missiles and other offensive weapons by the People's Republic of China in areas adjacent to the Taiwan Strait is a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area; Whereas section 3 of the Taiwan Relations Act (22 U.S.C. 3302) requires that the United States Government will make available defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability; Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act requires the United States to maintain the capacity to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the secu 3 H.L.C. rity, or the social or economic system, of the people of Taiwan; Whereas the Taiwan Relations Act affirms the preservation and enhancement of the human rights of the people of Taiwan as an objective of the United States; Whereas Taiwan serves as a model of democratic reform for the People's Republic of China; Whereas Taiwan's 1996 election was the first time in five millennia of recorded Chinese history that a democratically elected president took office; Whereas Taiwan's democracy has deepened with a peaceful transfer of power from one political party to another after the presidential election of 2000; Whereas the relationship between the United States and Taiwan has deepened with Taiwan's evolution into a fullfledged, multi-party democracy that respects human rights and civil liberties; Whereas high-level visits between government officials of the United States and Taiwan are not inconsistent with the "one China policy"; and Whereas any attempt to determine Taiwan's future by other than peaceful means and other than with the express consent of the people of Taiwan would be considered of grave concern to the United States; Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 1 2 concurring), That 3 4 (1) Congress reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act (22 U.S.C. 3301 4 H.L.C. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 et seq.) as the cornerstone of United States relations with Taiwan; (2) the military modernization and weapons procurement program of the People's Republic of China is a matter of grave concern, and particularly the current deployment of approximately 500 missiles directed toward Taiwan; (3) the President should direct all appropriate United States Government officials to raise these grave concerns regarding military threats to Taiwan with officials of the Government of the People's Re public of China; (4) the President and Congress should determine whether the escalating arms buildup, including deployment of offensive weaponry and missiles in areas adjacent to the Taiwan Strait, requires that additional defense articles and services be made available to Taiwan, and the United States Government should encourage the leadership of Taiwan to devote sufficient financial resources to the defense of their island; (5) as recommended by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, the Department of Defense should provide a comprehensive re port on the nature and scope of military sales by the |