Taiwan Strait Relations

TAIWAN STRAIT RELATIONS -- (Extensions of Remarks - March 03, 2005)

SPEECH OF
HON. FRANK D. LUCAS
OF OKLAHOMA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2005

Mr. LUCAS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, On December 29 of last year, the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress took a highly provocative action when it voted to submit an "Anti-Secession Law" to the full Congress which convenes on March 5.

The text of this proposed law was not made public, but there can be no doubt about its intent. It is intended to create in China's national law the legal justification for a military attack against Taiwan.

The law would spell out a range of activities which, if taken by the Taiwanese people and their democratically elected leaders, would legally constitute secession. Many of these activities, such as Constitutional reform and popular referenda, are the mainstay of any democracy. Yet the Chinese would use them as a legal excuse for a military attack.
Mr. Speaker, this proposed "anti-secession" legislation which the National People's Congress plans to take up in March, is a significant and dangerous development. It goes far beyond the usual bellicose verbal threats of Chinese leaders. It would use Chinese national law as a rationale for military aggression against its democratic neighbor.

The United States, for more than 25 years since the passage of the Taiwan Relations Act, has made clear its determination that the future of Taiwan must be decided only by peaceful means, not by force of arms, and that any final determination must be in accord with the wishes of the people of Taiwan.

These are the fundamental building blocks upon which the future of the Taiwan Strait must rest: peace, and mutual consent between both sides. I urge the leadership of the PRC to put aside this ill-considered law as inimical to both peace and goodwill.

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