Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress that the United States Government should continue strengthening cooperation with Taiwan under the framework of the Taiwan Relations Act (Public Law 96–8; 22 U.S.C. 3301 et seq.) and the Six Assurances with consideration of the ongoing military buildup in China and the imbalance in the security environment in the Taiwan Strait, including by— (1) promoting dignity and respect for its Taiwan counterparts, who represent more than 23,000,000 citizens, by using the full range of the United States Government’s diplomatic and financial tools to promote Taiwan’s inclusion and meaningful participation in international organizations, as well as in bilateral and multilateral security summits, military exercises, and economic dialogues and forums; (2) urging Taiwan to increase its own investments in military capabilities that support implementation of its asymmetric defense strategy; and (3) prioritizing the negotiation of a free-trade agreement with Taiwan that provides high levels of labor rights and environmental protection as soon as possible to deepen economic ties between the United States and Taiwan.