To amend the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 to require periodic reviews and updated reports relating to the Department of State's Taiwan Guidelines.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1159) to amend the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 to require periodic reviews and updated reports relating to the Department of State's Taiwan Guidelines.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Taiwan assurance implementation act, my bipartisan legislation to ensure the United States engages Taiwan in a way that deepens our relationship with this important partner.

Taiwan faces an unprecedented threat from an increasingly capable and erratic People's Republic of China. Xi Jinping has said that so-called reunification with Taiwan is a core goal of his great rejuvenation campaign, and Chinese Communist Party officials have made clear that they are not afraid to use force to achieve this goal.

Mr. Speaker, our own intelligence community has assessed that the PRC is investing in military capabilities that will enable it to take Taiwan by 2027, but we do not need intelligence to tell us what we already see. The PRC is flying bombers and fighter jets into Taiwanese airspace and waters, threatening to sanction Taiwanese businesses, and harassing Taiwanese Government officials.

If we are to defeat China's plan to replace the United States as the world's preeminent power, we cannot be ruled by fear. That means boldly standing by our friends and partners, particularly Taiwan.

We must increase our economic ties, defense relationship, and political support of Taiwan's democratic system. Unfortunately, our own State Department has often unilaterally censored or restricted its engagement with Taiwan.

Hiding behind opacity and red tape hurts our partnership with Taiwan at a moment when we need to be standing shoulder to shoulder with our allies and partners. Any waffling invites bullies like Xi and Putin to push the envelope.

This is why the Taiwan Assurance Act, or TAA, was enacted with strong bipartisan support in 2020, but the threat Taiwan faces has only grown since then. This bill amends the TAA to ensure that the State Department's policy of engagement with Taiwan is appropriate to today's geopolitical challenges. We must acknowledge the growing threat Taiwan faces and help build resilience to that threat.

I was proud to introduce this bipartisan bill along with the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), who has been an absolute champion for Taiwan for so many years.

It received unanimous support during markup by the Foreign Affairs Committee, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, the geopolitical situation surrounding Taiwan is changing rapidly. Our relationship with Taiwan must be flexible enough to meet these new challenges.

Unfortunately, the State Department's classified Taiwan contact guidelines are often not conducive to a robust relationship with Taiwan, and Congress has little insight into the decisionmaking behind these guidelines.

Mr. Speaker, the bottom line of this legislation is this:

H.R. 1159 would reauthorize the bipartisan Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020, strengthen its reporting requirements, and require greater transparency from the State Department.

It would ensure the United States is approaching its relationship with Taiwan in a manner that strengthens our

relationships with democratic partners who are under threat by aggressive dictatorships, and it would ask the administration to identify opportunities to lift remaining self-imposed restrictions on engagement.

Mr. Speaker, I urge each of my colleagues to support this important bipartisan bill. I thank the ranking member, Mr. Meeks, and I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly) for joining me in supporting this unanimously out of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in strong support of H.R. 1159.

This legislation introduced by Mrs. Wagner, the vice chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Messrs. Connolly and Lawler, House Foreign Affairs Committee members, showcases this body's steadfast, bipartisan commitment to Taiwan.

As a vibrant democracy and reliable partner of the United States of America, Taiwan has long been a force for good in promoting prosperity and development in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

Our robust and longstanding friendship is built on our shared values of democracy and good governance, strong people-to-people ties, and ever-expanding commercial and economic engagement.

When I visited Taiwan with Speaker Pelosi last year, the reception we received from the people was nothing short of incredible. We were welcomed with open arms. Thousands of people greeted us as the plane landed. More than that viewed us as our trip took its way to Taiwan.

Our trip demonstrated that Members of Congress will not be dictated to by Beijing and that we will not sit idly by as Beijing attempts to intimidate and coerce our friend.

The people of Taiwan showed us tremendous respect and affection, so much so it was in a way that I believe demonstrates their confidence that the United States Congress will continue to stand up for them.

In acknowledgment of our deep and lasting friendship, the Biden administration took concrete steps to encourage greater engagement with Taiwan. In April 2021, the State Department revised its guidelines to liberalize executive branch interactions with Taiwan counterparts in a way that is consistent with our One China policy and honors our longstanding ties to Taiwan as enshrined in the Taiwan Relations Act.

This legislation amends the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 to reauthorize regular reporting on the State Department's Taiwan contact guidelines. This bill sends a strong message that Congress stands with our friends in Taiwan, supports greater engagement, and wants to have an active part in strengthening the United States-Taiwan relationship.

As the United States and Taiwan look to further enhance our cooperation, facilitating ways to bolster our ongoing people-to-people ties is vital. Not only have our two sides benefited tremendously from our close engagement, but the world stands to benefit, as well.

Again, I congratulate Representative Wagner, the vice chair of the committee; Mr. Connolly; and Mr. Lawler for coming up with this bipartisan bill, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), my friend.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1159 is an important bipartisan measure that reauthorizes regular reporting on the State Department's Taiwan contact guidelines to Congress and encourages greater engagement with our friends in Taiwan, consistent with our One China policy.

As a vibrant democracy, a force of good will, and a model for the world, Taiwan is, indeed, a key part of the Indo-Pacific region. It is vital that we find concrete ways to expand and deepen interactions at every level and work together to advance our mutual priorities based on our shared values, strong people-to-people ties, and common vision for the region.

Again, I thank Vice Chair Wagner, Mr. Connolly, and Mr. Lawler for coming together with this strong bipartisan bill, and I urge all of my colleagues to join us and support this very important bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear friend, the former chair and now the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, for his leadership and friendship. I also thank my dear friend from Missouri, Congresswoman Wagner, who has served America in many roles. I thank her for her leadership on today's legislation, a bipartisan piece of legislation that is very timely and important.

This legislation provides an update to the Taiwan Assurance Act, which I was proud to support in 2020 to underscore the importance of U.S. support for Taiwan.

The key piece of legislation Congress initiated back in 1979 is, as Chairman Meeks indicated, the Taiwan Relations Act. It was passed when I was a young staffer in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and it originated out of that committee.

It was designed by Congress to help create unique architecture in the bilateral relationship between the United States and Taiwan. It followed immediately after normalization of relations with the People's Republic of China, and it was designed by Congress to make sure that no military solution would be available in the question of the status of Taiwan.

The Taiwan Relations Act was designed to put forth parameters and a roadmap to govern our bilateral relationship. Central to that roadmap is Taiwan's ability to defend itself with support from the United States. That is a promise we made then, and it is a promise we must keep today.

As an increasingly aggressive China threatens its neighbors throughout the South China Sea, as if it were its own private pond, and as it encroaches on territorial waters and airspace and asserts ludicrous claims that the South China Sea is its Chinese pond, this is the time for the United States and this Congress to reassert our support, our unequivocal support, for the right of the Taiwanese people to decide for themselves how they will manage their affairs and their relationship with Beijing.

As president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly for the last 2 years, I was proud to partner with my colleagues in this body and on both sides of the aisle to put China on the NATO agenda for the first time in its 70-year history, believe it or not.

This is a crucial moment for the U.S.-Taiwan relationship. It requires a sober and comprehensive understanding of the challenge China can pose to the United States and its security and prosperity, as well as that of the people of Taiwan.

In this moment, our support for Taiwan, its people, and its democratic structure is paramount in the face of Chinese aggression. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Again, I thank my colleague from Missouri and the distinguished former chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee for their leadership.

Mr. Speaker, on March 22, 2023, I missed votes on the House Floor. Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 144, To direct the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a report on implementation of the advanced capabilities pillar of the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, H.R. 1093, and YEA on Roll Call No. 145, to Amend the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 to require periodic reviews and updated reports relating to the Department of State's Taiwan Guidelines, H.R. 1159.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present for rollcall No. 144, the vote today on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 1093, I would have voted ``yea.''

Additionally, had I been present for rollcall No. 145, the vote on H.R. 1159, a bill to amend the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 to require periodic reviews and updated reports relating to the Department of State's Taiwan Guidelines, I would have voted ``yea.''