H.Con.Res. 29 — Introduced in House

IV 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. CON. RES. 29 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 10, 2013 Mr. McCaul (for himself and Mr. Andrews) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should resume normal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, and for other purposes. Whereas the people of Taiwan have established a vibrant and pluralistic democracy only 20 years ago; Whereas since then, the people of Taiwan have conducted five successful presidential elections, successive elections for members of their national legislature, numerous local elections, and two national referendums; Whereas Taiwan has never been under the jurisdiction of the People’s Republic of China, which continues to illegitimately claim sovereignty over Taiwan and its 23,000,000 citizens; Whereas the Shanghai Communique, which maintains that there is “One China” and that “Taiwan is part of China”, was established without the consultation of Congress or the people of Taiwan; Whereas the People’s Republic of China has since used the “One China Policy” to block Taiwan's membership and full participation in international organizations and events, ranging from the United Nations and the World Health Organization to the Olympics; Whereas the “One China Policy” is effectively obsolete, and does not the reflect the obvious reality that Taiwan has functioned as an independent and sovereign country for over half a century; Whereas the only other countries in the world with which the United States does not have diplomatic relations are Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, and North Korea; Whereas Taiwan maintains diplomatic, cultural, and economic relations with several countries around the world; Whereas Taiwan and the United States maintained formal diplomatic relations until 1979; Whereas former President Jimmy Carter severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979 and terminated the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and Taiwan without consulting or seeking the approval of Congress; Whereas Congress responded later that year by adopting the Taiwan Relations Act, codifying in law the basis for continued friendly relations between the United States and Taiwan; Whereas former President Ronald Reagan issued the “Six Assurances” to Taiwan in July 1982, including the assurance that “[t]he United States would not formally recognize Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan.”; Whereas both the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances form the cornerstone of United States-Taiwan relations; and Whereas Taiwan has been a steadfast ally of the United States and a responsible and compassionate member of the world community: Now, therefore, be it That it is the sense of Congress that— (1) the President should abandon the fundamentally flawed “One China Policy” in favor of a more realistic “One China, One Taiwan Policy” that recognizes Taiwan as a sovereign and independent country, separate from the undemocratic Government of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing; (2) the President should begin the process of resuming normal diplomatic relations with Taiwan; and (3) the President, the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, and other relevant United States officials should aggressively support Taiwan's full participation in the United Nations and any other international organization of which the United States is a member, and for which statehood is a requirement for membership.