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HOUSE
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 481
Expressing
the sense of Congress regarding high level visits by democratically
elected officials of Taiwan to the United States.
Whereas Taiwan is the seventh largest trading partner of the United
States and plays an important role in the economy of the
Asia-Pacific region;
Whereas Taiwan routinely holds free and fair elections in a
multiparty system, and on March 20, 2004, held its third democratic
presidential election, in which Chen Shui-bian was re-elected as
president of the 23,000,000 people of Taiwan;
Whereas Members of Congress, unlike executive branch officials, have
long had the freedom to meet with leaders of governments with which
the United States does not have formal relations, and these meetings
provide a vital opportunity to discuss issues of mutual concern that
directly affect United States national interests;
Whereas the United States as acquiesced for more than two decades to
demands made by the People's Republic of China to bar the president,
vice president, foreign minister,and defense minister of Taiwan from
coming to the United States;
Whereas, as a result of the inability of these high level officials
to visit the United States, Congress loses the opportunity to
communicate directly with them about developments in the
Asia-Pacific region and key elements of the relationship between the
United States and Taiwan;
Whereas, considering the enormous economic, security, and political
interests shared by the United States, Taiwan, and China, there
could not be a more important time to find opportunities to meet
with Taiwan's new leaders;
Whereas Congress must continue to play an independent oversight role
in United States policy toward Taiwan and continue to find ways to
reduce tensions across the Taiwan Strait, in particular to
counteract the buildup of missiles by China that are pointed at
Taiwan;
Whereas the policy of restricting high level officials from Taiwan
from making official visits to the United States forces Members of
Congress to choose whether to rely solely upon indirect assessments
provided by the administration or to travel to Taiwan to obtain this
information firsthand and denies the democratically elected
officials of Taiwan the respect they deserve;
Whereas by bestowing upon President Chen the respect his office
deserves, the United States will demonstrate to the people of Taiwan
and China the support of the United States for democracy; and
Whereas the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of
1994 (Public Law 103–416) provides that the president or other
high level official of Taiwan shall be welcome in the United States
at any time to discuss a variety of important issues: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That it is the sense of Congress that—
(1) it is in the national interests of the United States to
communicate directly with democratically elected and appointed
officials of Taiwan, including the democratically elected president
of Taiwan; and (2) the United States should lift all restrictions on
visits by high level officials of Taiwan to the United States.
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