The Taiwan Security Enhancement Act () was a US Congressional bill which never became law. It was passed by one of the Houses of the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

, the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

, on February 1, 2000, by a vote of 341 to 70. It envisaged greater

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

military support of the Republic of China/Taiwan, including training and equipment. It also contemplated establishing direct military communication lines between the United States and Taiwan. It was never approved by the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

or signed into law by the U.S. president. Its proponents intended the proposed law to strengthen and update the

Taiwan Relations Act The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA; ; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Thôi-van Kwan-hè-fap''; ) is an act of the United States Congress. Since the formal recognition of the People's Republic of China, the Act has defined the officially substantial but non-diplom ...

, which was passed soon after the US ceased official relations with the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

(now commonly known as Taiwan) on December 31, 1978, and instead recognized the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

on January 1, 1979. President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

had unilaterally withdrawn from the

Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty The Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty (SAMDT), formally Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States of America and the Republic of China, was a defense pact signed between the United States and the Republic of China (Taiwan) effective from ...

establishing a

defense pact A defense pact (or defence pact in Commonwealth spelling) is a type of treaty or military alliance in which the signatories promise to support each other militarily and to defend each other.Volker Krause, J. David Singer "Minor Powers, Allianc ...

between the United States and the Republic of China in January 1979, and the Taiwan Relations Act was Congress's response to enforce and prevent excessive unilateral

foreign policy A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...

change at the hands of the President without consent of Congress.

U.S. President opposed proposed law

The U.S. president at the time,

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

, opposed the proposed legislation. However, most Democrats in Congress supported the legislation despite President Clinton's opposition.

Beijing response

The Chinese Government's spokesperson, responding to press inquiries, gave the Beijing Government's response as follows:

External links

Text of the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act

Library Of Congress Bill Summary
Taiwan Security Enhancement Act Taiwan Security Enhancement Act Taiwan–United States relations China–United States relations 2000 in international relations {{US-hist-stub

U.S. President opposed proposed law

Beijing response

See also

External links