[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 30 (Wednesday, March 2, 2011)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E394] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] CELEBRATING TAIWAN'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE STRAIT EXCHANGE FOUNDATION ______ HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL of new york in the house of representatives Wednesday, March 2, 2011 Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, in the last two and a half years, through Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and Mainland China's Association for Relations Across the Trait Strait (ARATS), Taiwan and Mainland China have held several rounds of talks and concluded many economic and trade agreements, most important of which was the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) inked last June 29 in Chongqing China. ECFA boosts Taiwan's economy and creates tens of thousands of job opportunities. Further, the agreement will help Taiwan's economy to benefit from regional integration and develop new international markets while attracting foreign direct investments in Taiwan. In addition to the economic benefits for both Taiwan and the Chinese mainland, the signing of this agreement has significantly eased tensions across the Taiwan Strait. The two sides are now linked by more than 300 direct flights per week. Mainland China is Taiwan's largest trading partner with cross-strait trade totaling close to $110 billion in 2009, according to Taiwan statistics. Clearly, the Straits Exchange Foundation is to be congratulated on its 20th anniversary for its good work. SEF has brought prosperity and peace to the Taiwan Strait. As we celebrate the successes of the SEF, we know much lies ahead for the SEF and the ARATS. For instance, the people in Taiwan and the international community continue to have strong concerns about China's military expansion and deployments. So far, China has yet to renounce the use of force regarding Taiwan and China's military build-up across the Taiwan Strait continues unabated with more than 1,100 missiles pointed in Taiwan's direction. Although tensions have abated and there seems to be no danger of China using force against Taiwan, China's military deployments worry policymakers in both Taipei and Washington. While the United States is happy to see rapprochement between the two sides, it is my opinion that to ensure Taiwan's future, we must help Taiwan develop the confidence to resist any outside aggression. We should and must continue to stand by our commitment to provide Taiwan with defense articles and defense services. Our recent decision to notify Congress of the approval of arms sales to Taiwan worth $6.4 billion is an indication of our commitment to meet the obligations spelled out in the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). This has been a U.S. policy followed by successive Administrations for more than 30 years. Again, I congratulate the leaders of Taiwan's SEF, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and ROC President Ma Ying-jeou for their vision and hard work in improving cross-strait relations. Together they have restored U.S. trust and reversed the deterioration in cross-strait relations that took place prior to May 2008. ____________________