As the US Congress enters the final weeks of its 2001 session amid a flurry of US-China diplomatic activities, Taiwan supporters in and outside of Congress are seeking to push a number of bills demonstrating Washington's backing of Taiwan's position in a number of key areas.
Three of the bills would aim to enhance Taiwan's claim to participation within international bodies, while a fourth would mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty in which Japan ceded control of Taiwan.
Message to Bush
The congressmen seek to send a series of messages to the Bush administration as President Bush prepares to address the UN General Assembly later this month, attend the annual ministerial meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Forum next month, and pay a state visit to Beijing immediately afterwards.
Most of the bills have been introduced already. However, members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate are planning to introduce a new resolution later this week requiring the consent of the people of Taiwan to determine their fate.
The resolution, whose sponsors have still to be worked out, would coincide with the 50th anniversary of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, signed on Sept. 8. 1951 between Japan and the Allies, which officially ended World War II in the Pacific and in which Japan "renounced all right, title and claim to Formosa and the Pescadores."
The resolution, which would be only a non-binding "sense of Congress" statement of principles, would declare US foreign policy to be that Taiwan's future "should be resolved peacefully, through a democratic mechanism such as a plebiscite and with the express consent of the people of Taiwan."
Taiwan's future
It would also declare US policy to be that Taiwan's future be decided "by the people of Taiwan without outside threats, intimidation or interference." The San Francisco treaty, which did not specify to whom Taiwan should be returned, added to a confused post-war diplomacy that refused to settle the internationally legal status of Taiwan.
Neither Beijing nor Taipei were invited to join the San Francisco deliberations, although the Republic of China, represented by ROC President Yeh Kung-chao, together with Japan signed a separate peace treaty in Taipei on April 28, 1952.
The reason the San Francisco document did not specify the new owners of Taiwan is complex, but a major reason is that while Washington recognized the KMT government in Taipei, Britain recognized the Communist government in Beijing.
Final settlement
"Until China shows by her action that she accepts those provisions and principles, it will be difficult to reach a final settlement of the problem of Formosa." a British legate was to say.
While supporters say that there may not be enough time to get the resolution passed this year, they are looking for passage in time for next year's 53rd anniversary of the San Francisco treaty.
In addition to the treaty-related bill, Taiwan lobbyists are hoping for action in the coming month or so on other Taiwan-related resolutions.
One, which Taiwan's supporters hope will be brought to the floor of the House by next week, would declare the "sense of Congress" that Taiwan "deserves full and equal membership in the United Nations and other international organizations" and that Washington should "take a leading role in gaining international support" for that.
That resolution, introduced last month by Colorado Republican Bob Schaffer, could get to the floor next week if Schaffer gets the leadership of the House International Relations Committee, where it now sits, to release it for a quick vote under special House rules.
Parallel resolution
A parallel resolution was approved by both the House and Senate last year -- by a voice vote in the House and by unanimous consent in the Senate.
Another resolution, introduced in July by New York Democrat Gary Ackerman, would call for President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) attendance at this month's APEC meeting as a forum for "direct dialogue without precondition between leaders on both sides of the Taiwan Strait."
Another resolution that could be approved before Congress adjourns for the year would demand the Bush administration make all efforts to assure the participation of Taiwan in next May's Geneva meeting of the WTO. A similar resolution failed to be approved last year.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique