Sec. 704. Prohibitions against undermining United States policy regarding Taiwan
611 words·~3 min read·
/bill/117/hr/9010/ih/section-704A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds that the efforts by the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party to compel private United States businesses, corporations, and nongovernmental entities to use language mandated by the People’s Republic of China (referred to in this section as the PRC ) to describe the relationship between Taiwan and the PRC are an illegitimate attempt to enforce political censorship globally. It is the sense of Congress that the United States Government, in coordination with United States businesses and nongovernmental entities, should formulate a code of conduct for, and otherwise coordinate on, interacting with the Government of the PRC and the Chinese Communist Party and their affiliated entities, the aim of which is— to counter PRC operations that threaten free speech, academic freedom, and the normal operations of United States businesses and nongovernmental entities; and to counter PRC efforts to censor the way the world refers to issues deemed sensitive to the PRC Government and Chinese Communist Party leaders, including issues related to Taiwan, Tibet, the Tiananmen Square Massacre, and the mass internment of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims, among many other issues.
It is the sense of Congress that— issues related to the sovereignty of Taiwan are for the people of Taiwan to decide through the democratic process they have established; the dispute between the PRC and Taiwan must be resolved peacefully and with the assent of the people of Taiwan; the 2 key obstacles to peaceful resolution are— the authoritarian nature of the PRC political system under one-party rule of the Chinese Communist Party, which is fundamentally incompatible with Taiwan’s democracy; and the PRC’s pursuit of coercion and aggression towards Taiwan, in potential violation of the third United States-PRC Joint Communiqué, which was completed on August 17, 1982; any attempt to coerce or force the people of Taiwan to accept a political arrangement that would subject them to direct or indirect rule by the PRC, including a one country, two systems framework, would constitute a grave challenge to United States security interests in the region.
It is the policy of the United States to oppose any attempt by the PRC authorities to unilaterally impose a timetable or deadline for unification on Taiwan. No department or agency of the United States Government may formally or informally recognize PRC claims to sovereignty over Taiwan without the assent of the people of Taiwan, as expressed directly through the democratic process. Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall submit an unclassified report, with a classified annex, if necessary, on how to protect United States businesses and nongovernmental entities from PRC operations, including coercion and threats that lead to censorship or self-censorship, or which compel compliance with political or foreign policy positions of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party.
The strategy shall include— information regarding efforts by the PRC Government to censor the websites of United States airlines, hotels, and other businesses regarding the relationship between Taiwan and the PRC; information regarding efforts by the PRC Government to target United States nongovernmental entities through operations intended to weaken support for Taiwan; information regarding United States Government efforts to counter the threats posed by Chinese state-sponsored propaganda and disinformation, including information on best practices, current successes, and existing barriers to responding to such threat; and details of any actions undertaken to create the code of conduct described in subsection (b), including a timetable for the implementation of such code of conduct.