The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“U.S. RELATIONS WITH TAIWAN” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S10814-S10815 on Oct. 9, 1997.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
U.S. RELATIONS WITH TAIWAN
Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, as Congress prepares to leave for the Columbus Day recess, I notice that there are other celebrations going on around Washington, including ``National Day'' celebrations in Chinatown. These celebrations brought to mind several issues that I wanted to share with my colleagues regarding United States relations with Taiwan.
As Washington prepares for the State visit of President Jiang Zemin of the People's Republic of China, some press reports have speculated that the issue of Taiwan might be on the summit agenda. First, let me say that I welcome the visit of President Jiang. High-level dialogue with the Chinese should be regular and routine, and this summit presents an opportunity to discuss many issues of mutual concern to our two countries. But let me add that improving relations with the PRC need not, and indeed, should not, come at the expense of our relationship with Taiwan.
Therefore, I sent a letter, signed by 10 of my colleagues including Majority Leader Trent Lott, Minority Leader Tom Daschle, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee Jesse Helms; and East Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee Chairman Craig Thomas, to President Clinton urging him to oppose any efforts at the summit by the PRC leadership to diminish American support for Taiwan.
Mr. President, I ask that a copy of that letter be printed in the Record.
Mr. President, I wish President Clinton and his administration success at the upcoming summit, and I urge him to respect the views of me and my colleagues, which I think represents the views of many Americans, that our support for Taiwan's democracy and freedom cannot be sacrificed.
I also want to use this opportunity to express my gratitude to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright for her efforts to consult more closely with Members of Congress with regard to issues related to Taiwan. I refer specifically to consultations regarding the recent selection of Richard Clarence Bush III as Chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan [AIT].
Some of my colleagues, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms, in particular, will remember that the consultation process did not work when the prior AIT Chairman, Mr. James Wood, was selected.
Mr. James Wood resigned from his position on January 1997 among various charges and countercharges with regard to foreign contributions during the election campaign. I leave the legitimacy of those charges to the investigators, but I simply wanted to note that congressional concerns regarding Mr. Wood were ignored by our State Department.
In response to this incident, I considered offering an amendment to the State Department authorization legislation that would have required establishing a post within the State Department that would be directly responsible for Taiwan Affairs. As part of negotiations over that amendment, I had the opportunity to discuss with the Secretary my dissatisfaction with the consultation process on matters relating to Taiwan.
The Secretary promised that she would rectify this situation and would in the future consult with Congress prior to naming future officers of AIT. She followed up on this oral promise with a letter dated July 30, 1997, that states that if the Foreign Relations Committee ``expresses reservations about a prospective trustee, we will undertake to discuss and resolve the matter fully with the Committee before proceeding.''
Mr. President, I ask that a copy of the July 30 letter be printed in the Record.
The Secretary held to her word and consulted with me and others prior to the selection of Richard Bush. I must admit, Mr. President, that this was an easy case. Mr. Bush is a talented individual who is well qualified to take this sensitive position. I had the opportunity to negotiate with Mr. Bush when he was advising Congressman Lee Hamilton on Taiwan-related issues, and I found him well-spoken and honest. I look forward to the opportunity to continue to work with him in his new role.
I hope that Mr. Bush will use his new position to further strengthen and enhance United States relations with the people and the Government of Taiwan. Taiwan is our eighth largest trading partner, and I am confident that trade will increase further when Taiwan joins the World Trade Organization. In addition, I encourage the administration to send high-level officials to Taiwan to further strengthen our relationship and to work out the occasional disputes that cloud our relationship.
The letters follow:
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC, September 23, 1997.Hon. William J. Clinton,The President, The White House.
Dear Mr. President: As you prepare for your summit with the President of the People's Republic of China, we thought it appropriate to share with you our thoughts regarding U.S. relations with the people and the government of Taiwan. We believe Taiwan has made extraordinary progress in recent years as the Republic of China has moved to establish a vibrant democracy with free elections, free press, strong trade unions and improved trading practices.
We believe the American people are united in their support for freedom and democracy on Taiwan. Time and again, Congress has made clear our commitment to Taiwan, beginning with the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, and through many resolutions and bills since then.
With your important meetings in Washington with the leadership of the People's Republic of China scheduled for late October, there has been much discussion about how the U.S. government would respond to possible demands by the PRC Government regarding U.S. relations with the people and the government of Taiwan.
Mr. President, we urge you to oppose any efforts at the summit by the PRC leadership to diminish American support for Taiwan. We urge you to reject any plans for a ``Fourth Communique'' on issues related to Taiwan; to not weaken our defensive arms sales commitment to Taiwan; and, to not make any commitment to limit future visits by the elected representatives of the Republic of China.
We in Congress are prepared to reiterate the commitment of the American people to freedom and democracy for the people and government of Taiwan. We look forward to working with you and your Administration team on these issues in the weeks ahead.
Sincerely,
Frank H. Murkowcki; Trent Lott; Jay Rockefeller; Tom
Daschle; Craig Thomas; Sam Brownback; ------ ------
Jesse Helms; Robert G. Torricelli; Charles Robb; Larry
E. Craig.
____
The Secretary of State,
Washington, July 30, 1997.Hon. Frank Murkowski,U.S. Senate.
Dear Senator Murkowski: I refer to our conversation of June 17, in which you underscored the concern of the Foreign Relations Committee about the role of the Senate in monitoring our Taiwan policy and the Committee's specific desire that the Department consult with the Committee before appointing to the Board of Trustees of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) a Chairman/Managing Director for AIT.
As you know, under the bylaws of the American Institute in Taiwan, the Secretary of State appoints and removed trustees of the Institute. The Department continues to hold the view, expressed by Secretary Vance in his letter to then-Chairman Church at the time of AIT's establishment in 1979, that because the Institute is not an agency or instrumentality of the Government, and because its trustees are not officers of the United States, it would not be appropriate for the Senate to advise and consent to the appointment of trustees or officers. However, let me assure you, as did Secretary Vance, that the names of prospective trustees will be forwarded to the Foreign Relations Committee. If the Committee expresses reservations about a prospective trustee, we will undertake to discuss and resolve the matter fully with the Committee before proceeding.
This arrangement will enable the Institute to retain its character as a private corporation and assist the Senate in fulfilling its responsibilities for monitoring the implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act and the operation of the Institute.
Sincerely,Madeleine K. Albright.
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