,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #figd ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #bb1 #bjbj,mr4 ,gonzalez of ,ohio introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,financial ,services ,a ,,bill ,to require the ,secretary of the ,treasury to pursue more equitable treatment of ,taiwan at the international financial institutions1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,taiwan ,non-,discrimination ,act of #bjbj4 #b4 ,findings ,the ,congress finds as follows3 7#a7 ,as enshrined in its ,articles of ,agreement1 the ,international ,monetary ,fund 7,,imf7 is devoted to promoting international monetary cooperation1 facilitating the expansion and balanced growth of international trade1 encouraging exchange stability1 and avoiding competitive exchange depreciation4 7#b7 ,taiwan is the #bbnd largest economy in the world and the #ajth largest goods trading partner of the ,united ,states4 7#c7 ,although ,taiwan is not an ,,imf member1 it is a member of the ,world ,trade ,organization1 the ,asian ,development ,bank1 and the ,asia-,pacific ,economic ,cooperation forum4 7#d7 ,according to the ,january #bjbj ,report on ,macroeconomic and ,foreign ,exchange ,policies of ,major ,trading ,partners of the ,united ,states1 published by the ,department of the ,treasury1 ,taiwan held #dga1ijj1jjj1jjj in foreign exchange reserves1 more than major economies such as ,india1 ,south ,korea1 and ,brazil4 7#e7 ,according to section #d7;d7 of the ,taiwan ,relations ,act 7,public ,law #if-h71 enacted on ,april #aj1 #aigi1 ,nothing in this ,act may be construed as a basis for supporting the exclusion or expulsion of ,taiwan from continued membership in any international financial institution or any other international organization44 7#f7 ,taiwan held membership in the ,,imf for #i years following the recognition of the ,people's ,republic of ,china 7,,prc7 by the ,united ,nations1 and #af ,taiwan staff members at the ,fund were allowed to continue their employment after the ,,prc was seated at the ,,imf in #aihj4 ,as ,james ,m4 ,boughton has noted in his ,silent ,revolution3 ,the ,international ,monetary ,fund #aigi-aihi1 even as the ,,prc was seated1 the ,united ,states ,executive ,director to the ,,imf1 ,sam ,y4 ,cross1 expressed support on behalf of the ,united ,states government for some kind of association between ,taiwan and the ,fund4 7#g7 ,on ,september #bg1 #aiid1 in testimony before the ,senate ,committee on ,foreign ,relations regarding the #aiid ,taiwan ,policy ,review1 then-,assistant ,secretary of ,state for ,east ,asian and ,pacific ,affairs ,winston ,lord stated3 ,recognizing ,taiwan's important role in transnational issues1 we will support its membership in organizations where statehood is not a prerequisite1 and we will support opportunities for ,taiwan's voice to be heard in organizations where its membership is not possible44 7#h7 ,the ,congress has repeatedly reaffirmed support for this policy1 including in ,public ,laws #ajg-aj1 #ajg-aeh1 #ajh-bh1 #ajh-bce1 #aac-ag1 and #aad-aci1 and the unanimous ,house and ,senate passage of the ,taiwan ,allies ,international ,protection and ,enhancement ,initiative 7,,taipei7 ,act of #bjai4 7#i7 ,in its fact sheet1 entitled ,u4,s4 ,relations with ,taiwan1 published on ,august #ca1 #bjah1 the ,department of ,state asserts3 ,the ,united ,states supports ,taiwan's membership in international organizations that do not require statehood as a condition of membership and encourages ,taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations where its membership is not possible44 7#aj7 ,according to the ,articles of ,agreement of the ,,imf1 membership shall be open to other countries1 subject to conditions prescribed by the ,board of ,governors of the ,,imf4 7#aa7 ,in the ,,imf publication ,membership and ,nonmembership in the ,international ,monetary ,fund3 ,a ,study in ,international ,law and ,organization1 ,joseph ,gold1 the then-,general ,counsel and ,director of the ,legal ,department of the ,,imf1 elaborated on the differences between the terms countries and states1 noting that the word country may have been adopted because of the absence of agreement on the definition of a state and1 with respect to the use of countries and applications for ,,imf membership1 the absence of any adjective in the ,articles emphasizes the breadth of the discretion that the ,fund may exercise in admitting countries to membership4 ,according to ,mr4 ,gold1 the desire to give the ,fund flexibility in dealing with applications may explain not only the absence of any adjective that qualifies countries but also the choice of that word itself4 7#ab7 ,in his ,,imf study1 ,mr4 ,gold further observes1 in the practice of the ,fund the concepts of independence and sovereignty have been avoided on the whole as a mode of expressing a criterion for membership in the ,fund4 ,he continues1 ,although the ,fund usually takes into account the recognition or nonrecognition of an entity as a state1 there are no rules or even informal understandings on the extent to which an applicant must have been recognized by members or other international organizations before the ,fund will regard it as eligible for membership44 ,in fact1 when considering an application for membership where the status of an applicant may not be resolved1 ,mr4 ,gold writes there have been occasions on which the ,fund has made a finding before decisions had been taken by the ,united ,nations or by most members or by members with a majority of the total voting power4 ,mr4 ,gold concludes1 the ,fund makes its own findings on whether an applicant is a country1 and makes them solely for its own purposes44 7#ac7 ,although not a member state of the ,united ,nations1 the ,republic of ,kosovo is a member of both the ,,imf and the ,world ,bank1 having joined both organizations on ,june #bi1 #bjji4 #c4 ,sense of the ,congress ,it is the sense of the ,congress that-- 7#a7 the size1 significance1 and connectedness of the ,taiwan economy highlight the importance of greater participation by ,taiwan in the ,international ,monetary ,fund1 given the purposes of the ,fund articulated in its ,articles of ,agreement2 and 7#b7 the experience of ,taiwan in developing a vibrant and advanced economy under democratic governance and the rule of law should inform the work of the international financial institutions1 including through increased participation by ,taiwan in the institutions4 #d4 ,condition on ,,imf quota increase for the ,people's ,republic of ,china 7a7 ,in general ,the ,united ,states ,governor of the ,international ,monetary ,fund 7in this section referred to as the ,fund7 shall use the voice and vote of the ,united ,states to oppose1 and may not consent to1 an increase in the quota of the ,people's ,republic of ,china in the ,fund1 unless the ,secretary of the ,treasury reports to the ,congress that-- 7#a7 the ,board of ,governors of the ,fund is considering admission of ,taiwan as a member of the ,fund1 pursuant to the recommendation of the ,board of ,executive ,directors of the ,fund2 or 7#b7 ,taiwan enjoys meaningful participation in the ,fund1 including through-- 7,a7 participation in regular surveillance activities of the ,fund with respect to the economic and financial policies of ,taiwan1 consistent with ,article ,,iv consultation procedures of the ,fund2 7,b7 employment opportunities for ,taiwan nationals1 without regard to any consideration that1 in the determination of the ,secretary1 does not generally restrict the employment of nationals of member countries of the ,fund2 and 7,c7 the ability to receive appropriate technical assistance and training by the ,fund4 7b7 ,waiver ,the ,secretary of the ,treasury may waive subsection 7a7 of this section with respect to a proposal on reporting to the ,congress that providing the waiver will substantially promote the objective of securing more equitable treatment of ,taiwan at each international financial institution 7as defined in section #agja7;c77#b7 of the ,international ,financial ,institutions ,act74 7c7 ,sunset ,this section shall have no force or effect beginning with the date that is #g years after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #e4 ,ensuring non-discrimination with respect to travel policies at the international financial institutions 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall instruct the ,united ,states ,executive ,director at each international financial institution to use the voice and vote of the ,united ,states to ensure that the travel policies and procedures of the respective institution with respect to ,taiwan as a destination or transit point do not impose any administrative conditions1 including through restrictions on logistical arrangements or meeting participants1 that do not generally apply to a member country of the institution as a destination or transit point1 except as required temporarily for reasons of public safety or public health4 7b7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,international financial institution ,the term international financial institution has the meaning given the term in section #agja7;c77#b7 of the ,international ,financial ,institutions ,act4 7#b7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of the ,treasury4 7c7 ,waiver ,the ,secretary may waive subsection 7a7 with respect to an international financial institution for up to #a year at a time on reporting to the ,congress that providing the waiver-- 7#a7 will substantially promote the objective of securing more equitable treatment of ,taiwan at the international financial institution2 or 7#b7 is in the national interest of the ,united ,states1 with a detailed explanation of the reasons therefor4 7d7 ,progress report ,the ,chairman of the ,national ,advisory ,council on ,international ,monetary and ,financial ,policies shall submit to the ,congress an annual report that describes the progress made in advancing the travel policies and procedures described in subsection 7a71 and may consolidate that report with the annual report required by section #agja of the ,international ,financial ,institutions ,act or any other report required to be submitted to the ,secretary4 7e7 ,sunset ,this section shall have no force or effect beginning with the earlier of-- 7#a7 the date that is #g years after the date of the enactment of this ,act2 or 7#b7 the date on which the ,secretary reports to the ,congress that each international financial institution has adopted the travel policies and procedures described in subsection 7a74 #f4 ,testimony requirement ,in each of the next #g years in which the ,secretary of the ,treasury is required by section #agje7;b7 of the ,international ,financial ,institutions ,act to present testimony1 the ,secretary shall include in the testimony a description of the efforts of the ,united ,states to support the greatest participation practicable by ,taiwan at each international financial institution 7as defined in section #agja7;c77#b7 of such ,act74