Text: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Remarks on Taiwan
(Helms calls Taiwan "de facto sovereign state")Senator Jesse Helms, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for a reexamination of U.S. foreign policy toward China and Taiwan during a July 21 hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Calling Taiwan "a de facto sovereign state," Helms said the United States "should be seizing every opportunity to break free of Beijing's definition of 'one-China.'"
"Developments in Taiwan demonstrate that the 'one-China' gambit is even more than an insensible departure from reality. In 1991, the Republic of China on Taiwan abandoned its claims to sovereignty over all of China, providing unmistakable implications that there are two Chinese governmental entities," Helms said.
"Moreover," he continued, "during Taiwan's years of stunning democratic development, a model for the future of Chinese civilization has made crystal clear the fact that the 21 million people of Taiwan do not consider themselves part of the People's Republic of China."
"Now is the time to support President Lee and the people of Taiwan for their moral courage in standing up for themselves in the face of Red China's bullying," Helms said.
Following is the text of Helms' remarks, as prepared for delivery:
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Senator Jesse Helms
Statement for Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee Hearing on Taiwan
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
July 21, 1999MR. HELMS: Mr. Chairman, President Lee and Taiwan's government have been exceedingly helpful to those of us who support the people on Taiwan by clearing away some of the uncertainty that has surrounded Taiwan's status for years.
By having the courage to state the obvious -- that the Republic of China on Taiwan is a de facto sovereign state, the distinguished President Lee has created an opportunity to break free from the anachronistic, Beijing-inspired "one-China" policy which has imprisoned U.S. policy toward China and Taiwan for years.
The "one-China" notion that crept into existence in 1972 has always been a puzzling fiction. But even if one accepted its Cold War strategic rationale, the end of the Cold War surely should have diminished the notion that it was somehow essential to bow and scrape to Red China by parroting Beijing's concocted diplomatic resolution.
Developments in Taiwan demonstrate that the "one-China" gambit is even more than an insensible departure from reality. In 1991, the Republic of China on Taiwan abandoned its claims to sovereignty over all of China, providing unmistakable implications that there are two Chinese governmental entities.
Moreover, during Taiwan's years of stunning democratic development, a model for the future of Chinese civilization has made crystal clear the fact that the 21 million people of Taiwan do not consider themselves part of the People's Republic of China.
Despite all of this, the Clinton Administration did everything it could to drive the United States even deeper into the "one-China" hole -- a good example is the Clinton Administration's caving into Beijing's "3 Noes" demand last summer.
Now, in response to President Lee's remarks and Beijing's threatening bluster, the Clinton Administration has, one again, tilted nervously toward Beijing -- first by trotting out the banal "one-China" language, then repeating Red China's "3-Noes" dictum -- twice! Not until this past Thursday, after days of prodding, did the administration finally bring itself back to a degree of common sense by restating U.S. defense commitments to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act.
At a time when the United States should be seizing every opportunity to break free of Beijing's definition of "one-China" (not to mention making pointed reminders to Beijing regarding our long-standing defense obligations to Taiwan) the Clinton Administration is paralyzed by its own anachronistic policy, better known as appeasement.
Mr. Chairman, I am among the growing number of Americans who are weary of watching our good friends on Taiwan left twisting in the wind by the Clinton strategists for surrender. Now is the time to support President Lee and the people of Taiwan for their moral courage in standing up for themselves in the face of Red China's bullying.
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