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| Long title | To assist in the enhancement of the security of Taiwan, and for other purposes. |
|---|---|
| Announced in | the106th United States Congress |
| Sponsored by | Rep. Tom DeLay (R, TX-22) |
| Legislative history | |
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TheTaiwan Security Enhancement Act (H.R. 1838) was a U.S.Congressional bill which never became law. On February 1, 2000, the bill was passed by one body of theU.S. Congress, theHouse of Representatives, by a vote of 341 to 70. It envisaged greaterUnited States military support ofthe Republic of China/Taiwan, including training and equipment. It also contemplated establishing direct military communication lines between the United States and Taiwan. It was never approved by theU.S. Senate or signed into law by the U.S. president.
Its proponents intended the proposed law to strengthen and update theTaiwan Relations Act, which was passed soon after the U.S. ceased official relations with theRepublic of China (now commonly known as Taiwan) on December 31, 1978, and insteadrecognized thePeople's Republic of China on January 1, 1979. PresidentJimmy Carter had unilaterally withdrawn from theSino-American Mutual Defense Treaty establishing adefense pact between the United States and the Republic of China in January 1979, and the Taiwan Relations Act was Congress's response to enforce§ Checks and balances and prevent excessive unilateralforeign policy change at the hands of the President without consent of Congress.
The U.S. president at the time,Bill Clinton, opposed the proposed legislation. However, mostDemocrats in Congress supported the legislation despite President Clinton's opposition.
From the Chinese perspective, the bill was incompatible with the policies of the previous six United States administrations, particularlyRonald Reagan's 1982 Joint Communique.[1] The Chinese Government's spokesperson, responding to press inquiries, gave the Beijing Government's response as follows:[2]
A few members of the U.S. Congress have tried hard to push for the adoption of the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act. The essence is to, through strengthened domestic legislation, provide the so-called legal basis for the provision of various sophisticated weapons and equipment by the U.S. to Taiwan and the establishment and enhancement of direct links between the armed forces in the U.S. and Taiwan. The attempt has gravely threatened peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and the China-U.S. relations. The Chinese Government and people have, from the very beginning, expressed their strong condemnation of and resolute opposition to the Act, and have lodged serious representation with the U.S. side. The Chinese side has taken note of the fact that the U.S. Government has expressed its opposition to the adoption of the Act by the U.S. Congress. The Chinese side strongly urges the members of the U.S. Congress to stop at once this erroneous act of interfering in the internal affairs of China by using the question of Taiwan, and urges the U.S. Government to abide by the three China U.S. Joint Communiques, see clearly the harmful effect of the Act, and adopt concrete and effective measures to prevent it from becoming law so as not to seriously undermine the China-U.S. relations.
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