Marking the Tenth Anniversary of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus

Floor Speech

Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus.

Founded on April 9, 2001, the caucus was intended to serve as a forum to educate Members of Congress on issues affecting U.S.-Taiwan Relations, and to provide a platform for exploring ways to positively enhance and strengthen U.S. relations and cooperation with the government and people of Taiwan in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act. It has grown from 85 Members at the time of its establishment to the current roster of 155, making it the second largest country caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In the past 10 years, the membership of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus has remained solidly bipartisan, reflecting the broad and stable consensus in the U.S. Congress regarding the importance of Taiwan. Through the issuance of various joint letters, its agenda has focused first and foremost on maintaining faithful adherence to legal obligations and policy principles of the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, as well as the 1982 ``Six Assurances'' to Taiwan. Together, these two documents form the cornerstone of our relationship with the people of Taiwan and have contributed immeasurably to the maintenance of peace and stability in the Asia Pacific region, while allowing Taiwan to blossom into a vibrant, open society, eager to engage with the rest of the world.

Today, Taiwan is well on the path to becoming a mature and fully consolidated democracy, and our shared values now form an ever stronger foundation of trust for cooperation across our many areas of mutual interest. At the same time, the military threat posed by the People's Republic of China to Taiwan's democratic way of life only continues to grow with each passing day.

In the coming 10 years, we hope to forge a stronger consultative role for Congress in the formulation of Taiwan policy. We look forward to working closely with our allies--both abroad and at home--to find solutions for ensuring Taiwan's long-term security, and to deepen our dialogue with the people of Taiwan.

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