Text: Congress Says Taiwan Deserves Meaningful Representation at UN
(Senate passes House Concurrent Resolution 390 on Taiwan)

The Senate, following in the steps of the House of Representatives, on October 19 passed by unanimous consent a resolution calling for meaningful representation for Taiwan in the United Nations and other international organizations.

Senator Jeff Sessions (Republican of Alabama) introduced the resolution to the Senate.

The House of Representatives passed House Concurrent Resolution 390 (H. Con. Res. 390) October 3. The resolution had been introduced into Congress September 6 by Representative Robert Schaffer (Republican of Colorado). The resolution supporting Taiwan had 86 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.

"It is the sense of the Congress," the resolution says, that "Taiwan and its 23,000,000 people deserve appropriate meaningful participation in the United Nations and other international organizations such as the World Health Organization."

The United States, H. Con. Res. 390 said, "should fulfill the commitment it made in the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review to more actively support Taiwan's participation in appropriate international organizations."

Following is the text from the October 19 Congressional Record:

(begin text)

EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS
REGARDING TAIWAN'S PARTICIPATION IN THE UNITED NATIONS
(Senate - October 19, 2000)

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to consideration of H. Con. Res. 390, which is at the desk.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent resolution by title.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

A concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 390) expressing the sense of the Congress regarding Taiwan's participation in the United Nations and other international organizations.

There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the concurrent resolution.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 390) was agreed to.

The preamble was agreed to.

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding Taiwan's participation in the United Nations and other international organizations.

106th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 390

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding Taiwan's participation in the United Nations and other international organizations.

106th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 390

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Whereas Taiwan has dramatically improved its record on human rights and routinely holds free and fair elections in a multiparty system, as evidenced most recently by Taiwan's second democratic presidential election of March 18, 2000, in which Mr. Chen Shui-bian was elected as president;

Whereas the 23,000,000 people on Taiwan are not represented in the United Nations and many other international organizations, and their human rights as citizens of the world are therefore severely abridged;

Whereas Taiwan has in recent years repeatedly expressed its strong desire to participate in the United Nations and other international organizations;

Whereas Taiwan has much to contribute to the work and funding of the United Nations and other international organizations;

Whereas the world community has reacted positively to Taiwan's desire for international participation, as shown by Taiwan's membership in the Asian Development Bank and Taiwan's admission to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group as a full member and to the World Trade Organization as an observer;

Whereas the United States has supported Taiwan's participation in these bodies and, in the Taiwan Policy Review of September 1994, declared an intention of a stronger and more active policy of support for Taiwan's participation in appropriate international organizations;

Whereas Public Law 106-137 required the Secretary of State to submit a report to the Congress on administration efforts to support Taiwan's participation in international organizations, in particular the World Health Organization; and

Whereas in such report the Secretary of State failed to endorse Taiwan's participation in international organizations and thereby did not follow the spirit of the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that--

(1) Taiwan and its 23,000,000 people deserve appropriate meaningful participation in the United Nations and other international organizations such as the World Health Organization; and

(2) the United States should fulfill the commitment it made in the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review to more actively support Taiwan's participation in appropriate international organizations.

Passed the House of Representatives October 3, 2000.

Attest:

Clerk.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)


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