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For
immediate release. April 11, 2000
Congress
Pledges Support to Taiwan’s
President-elect
Chen Shui-bian
In an
April 10th letter to President-elect Chen Shui-bian
initiated by Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL), forty Members of Congress
praise the Taiwanese people "for their commitment to
the democratic ideas of freedom and human rights" and
pledge their commitment to the "security and prosperity
of the people of Taiwan."
There
would be no greater issue facing the new President "than
the future of relations with the People’s Republic of China,"
the letter states. Members note how "extremely encouraged"
Congress was by Chen’s first public comments following his
election and his reference to "a journey of reconciliation
to China¼with good intentions, active cooperation and eternal
peace."
"Unacceptable"
is the label given by Members to Chinese threats of military
force against Taiwan if prolonged negotiations to reunify
the two entities are not successful. "We will continue
to insist that Beijing renounce the use of force against Taiwan,"
the Members state. "Taiwan should not be compelled to
accept Beijing’s ‘one country, two systems’ formulation that
presupposes the final results of any negotiations and is not
in accordance with the will of the Taiwanese people. The United
States must [¼] help ensure that the future of Taiwan will
be determined by peaceful means."
"All
Americans can truly appreciate the steps taken by the people
of Taiwan to strengthen their nation for future generations,"
the letter concludes. "The peaceful transfer of power
from the ruling party to the opposition party completes Taiwan’s
transformation to a true democracy. We know that you will
be a strong advocate for the people of Taiwan, and we welcome
the opportunity to work with you and to build even stronger
links between our two democracies."
FAPA President
Wen-yen Chen says: "It is extremely important that in
these turbulent times the 40 prominent Members of the U.S.
House of Representatives send this clear signal to both sides
of the Taiwan Strait that 1. the U.S. insists that Beijing
renounce the use of force against Taiwan, 2. that Taiwan should
not be compelled to accept Beijing’s "one country, two
systems" principle, 3. that the future of Taiwan should
be determined "in accordance with the will of the Taiwanese
people, and 4. that the future of Taiwan will be determined
by peaceful means."
For more
information, contact FAPA (202) 547-3686 or the FAPA website
at www.fapa.org
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