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[Page: S2628]

Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I want to thank the Senator from Wyoming, Senator Thomas, for his leadership on the issue of the resolution which was just passed by a vote of 97 to 0 in this body. I thank him for his cooperative approach to finding a text that all parties could agree on. I also express my thanks and admiration to the Senator from Louisiana, Senator Johnston, and the Senator from Georgia, Senator Nunn, for their understanding of this issue and their efforts to craft a responsible resolution.

I would also like to thank Senators Murkowski, Helms, Simon, and Pell, and the distinguished majority leader, and their staffs, for working with all of us in a cooperative spirit on this resolution.

Mr. President, in the last 2 weeks we have watched as China has tested four missiles in close proximity to Taiwan, and the People's Liberation Army has conducted live-ammunition military exercises in the Taiwan Strait.

These tests and exercises are, obviously, aimed at showing in a militant fashion China's depth of feeling about the Taiwan issue and, many believe, to influence the Taiwanese election which will take place in a 2 short days.

It is unfortunate, I believe, that China has chosen to express its displeasure through the use of military threats. It is wrong, and the United States is right to deplore it. The United States has for over 24 years adhered to a One China policy that is based, in part, on the understanding that China will not seek to resolve its differences with Taiwan through other than peaceful means.

Our One China policy, of course, is also based on an understanding that Taiwan will not make any efforts to resolve its differences with China unilaterally or through any effort or move toward independence.

Clearly, a number of Taiwan's actions over the past several months--including President Lee Teng-hui's visit to the United States, Taiwanese military exercises concurrent with that visit, and an ongoing campaign for a seat at the United Nations--have called into question whether Taiwan is sincere in its statements that it opposes independence.

This resolution, then, sends two messages. It says to the Chinese that their use of military threats against Taiwan is unacceptable and represents a potential threat to United States interests in the western Pacific. President Clinton has deployed the USS Independence and the USS Nimitz to the region to monitor events. China must understand that the use of force against Taiwan would have grave consequences.

In addition, the resolution says to Taiwan that it must avoid provocative actions that cast doubt on its commitment not to pursue independence and, instead, to work for eventual peaceful reunification. Taiwan's security is important to the United States, but the United States will not sanction actions by Taiwan that raise tensions unnecessarily.

The One China policy is the essential element of the United States-China-Taiwan relationship. This policy has been the acknowledged framework that has served all three parties well for some two decades: The United States and China have been able to conduct normal relations befitting two great powers; China has entered into a period of dynamic economic growth; the United States and Taiwan have developed extensive economic and cultural ties; Taiwan has become the single largest investor in China, with over $20 billion in investments on the mainland; and, Taiwan has prospered and moved toward a democracy of which its people can be rightfully proud.

With all of these benefits flowing from the One China policy, and the fact that in a poll a week ago in Taiwan only 8 percent of the people favored independence and the overwhelming majority preferred the status quo, no one should take any precipitous action which would threaten to undermine the One China policy. In the aftermath of the Taiwan election, all three parties must move to restore balance to this relationship by reaffirming the One China policy.

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