The resolution, jointly introduced by committee chairman Henry Hide and ranking committee member Tom Lantos, and co-sponsored by 20 other House members, reaffirms Congress's unwavering commitment to the TRA as the cornerstone of U.S. relations with Taiwan.

It also states that: "The United States government should not discourage current officials of the Taiwan government from visiting the United on the basis that doing so would violate the 'one China policy.'"

Wu Ming-chi, president of the Formosan Association of Public Affairs, said that passage of the resolution "opens the door for a future visit by President Chen to Washington, D.C."

"The reference to the TRA being 'the cornerstone' of U.S.-Taiwan relations is significant too, since the People's Republic of China continues to claim that the three U.S.-PRC Communiques prevail, " Wu added.

Many members of Congress support a visit by President Chen to the U.S. capital, but the Bush administration may have reservations about such a visit as it does not want to affect its relations with mainland China.

Wu said that "obviously, the U.S. Congress agrees that the TRA is the law of the land and dictates U.S.-Taiwan relations, and not the three communiques."


Source: eTaiwan News