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[Page: S2216]

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I wanted to comment just a moment on an effort we made last week and intend to make again tomorrow relating to the affairs in the Taiwan Strait. All of us know that there has been now for some time a series of threats, a series of missiles, a series of live-ammunition military maneuvers by the People's Republic designed, we believe and I believe, to intimidate the Taiwanese election that comes up this week. Certainly, our country and the world, indeed, has a great interest in what happens in this area, partly because of our efforts to improve our relationship with the People's Republic of China--a relationship that will be increasingly important as time goes by, increasingly important to the Pacific rim and to the Asian area, increasingly important in the area of trade; 1.2 billion people with an economy growing at 10 percent--partly because of our concern for Taiwan and the development there of a democracy, this election of the President, the first free election that has been held, one of the first areas of success of democracy in an Asian country; partly because of the agreements that we have made with Taiwan and China through the years, three communiques and the Taiwan Act that spells out where we are, spells out the fact that we have supported the one-China policy and continue to support the one-China policy, spells out the fact that basic to that agreement is the agreement that it be pursued in a peaceful way, and that it not be involved in the military action.

So I think it is appropriate that we do have a statement from this Senate. We have put together a resolution. We put it together last week. It has sponsorship by the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee as well as the ranking member, and is sponsored by the leader, Bob Dole. However, we were not able to bring it up by unanimous consent last week. We have now talked to those who were concerned about it, and hopefully we will be able to bring it up tomorrow and get it passed.

The resolution basically, of course, deplores the notion and the activities of the Peoples Republic in these military actions, the idea that they have fired off missiles very close to Taiwan, close to both the ports of Taiwan, and now are involved in live-ammunition activities there.

We have asked in the resolution for the People's Republic as well as Taiwan to come together to discuss these issues in a peaceful way. We also recognize our obligation, if there is military action against Taiwan by the People's Republic, that we will assist in helping them prepare for themselves to have the equipment to defend themselves.

Hopefully, these activities are simply efforts to intimidate. I believe they are. I believe they are simply an expression of the concern that the People's Republic has had, and I hope that they will discontinue that kind of activity. I further hope the Taiwanese will go out of their way not to create the kind of tension that we have had.

So, Mr. President, we intend to bring again, tomorrow, a resolution that will put the Senate on record in that regard.

I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.

The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.

[Page: S2217]

Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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