Dear Mr. President-Elect:

Congratulations on your election as President of the Republic of China on Taiwan.

With your election this weekend- which will result in the first-ever transfer of power from a Chinese ruling party to its democratic opposition - Taiwan's democratic transformation is now complete.  The people of Taiwan are to be congratulated for this enormous feat - especially coming as it did in the face of belligerent threats from the Communist dictators in Beijing.

It is my sincere hope that your election will serve as a wake-up call to those in the United States who continue to insist on a policy pretending that the 22 million people of Taiwan don't exist.

The people of Taiwan made clear this weekend that if there is still "one China," there are without question two Chinese states- one communist: one free; one whose leaders rule with an iron fist, the other whose leaders serve at the pleasure of the people.  The time has come for the United States to adopt a China policy which recognizes this undeniable truth.

The consolidation of democracy in Taiwan has now raised the stakes for U. S. China policy.  The United States must not, and will not, allow Beijing to follow through on its threats last week to make this Taiwan's last democratic election should you be elected.  The U. S. has a responsibility now to ensure that Taiwan's stunning democratic achievement will not be cast aside by Communist aggression.

To this end, I hope that the administration will begin by approving Taiwan's entire defense request list, including AIM-120 air defense missiles, Aegis destroyers and diesel submarines, and that Congress will proceed with final approval of the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act.  Such measures will bolster your efforts to re-start the cross-Strait dialogue on the basis of "peace through strength," and will send a clear message to Beijing that the U. S. will not allow China's dictators to bully our democratic friends on Taiwan.

Once again, Mr. President-elect, my sincere congratulations to you, and to the people of Taiwan, on your remarkable achievement.

Sincerely,
 

JESSE HELMS