[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 4] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 5377-5378] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]REAFFIRMING OUR SUPPORT FOR THE PEOPLE OF TAIWAN ______ HON. PETE SESSIONS of texas in the house of representatives Wednesday, April 5, 2006 Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, Chinese President Hu Jintao is scheduled to visit Washington, DC, later this month. Mr. Hu is most likely to discuss trade, currency, North Korea, Iran and Taiwan with President Bush. I ask President Bush to not yield to Chinese demands on Taiwan but to reaffirm our long standing support for Taiwan and its people. [[Page 5378]] During the 1995-1996 Taiwan Strait missile crises, President Clinton sent two aircraft carrier battle groups into the region. Since then, the Chinese military has greatly expanded its capabilities and deployed hundreds of missiles targeting Taiwan. As the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Peter Rodman mentioned in his remarks before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, ``U.S. policy opposes unilateral changes in the Taiwan Strait status quo by either party. The PLA military build-up changes that status quo and requires us to adapt to the new situation, as we are doing now.'' Therefore, we must help the Taiwanese people to protect themselves in the event of a military conflict in the Strait. Taiwan is very worried about China's military intentions. Last March, the Chinese enacted the anti-secession law, which gives them the right to use force against Taiwan. Chinese leaders have consistently maintained that military action is a viable possibility. I ask President Bush to persuade Mr. Hu to withdraw Chinese missiles from the Strait, to rescind the anti-secession law and to resume a dialogue with Taiwan's elected leaders. Peace in the Strait is important to the United States, China, and Taiwan. The 23 million people of Taiwan have worked hard to earn their democratic way of life and they should be allowed to determine their own future. Keeping the freedom of the Taiwanese people secure is a matter of deepest concern to all of us. ____________________