U.S. Senator Opposes TSEA

U.S. Senator Craig Thomas, Chairman of Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, has expressed his strong opposition to the "Taiwan Security Enhancement Act (TSEA)," saying enacting this legislation would be "a grave mistake".

Thomas, in a speech to a conference on "U.S.-China Relations since the End of Cold War" here Tuesday, said legislation like the TSEA is "both unnecessary and would actually decrease stability in the region".

Passage of the TSEA would cause a large, serious and immediate disruption in U.S.-China relations, he said at the conference, which is hosted by the Woodrow Wilson Center. The senator noted that the central issue in U.S.-China relations is the Taiwan issue. "At the core of the stability of the relationship is the principle that there is but one China, and that Taiwan is part of China."

Thomas also reiterated his engagement position, saying "the best way to influence China is to engage it, to draw it inextricably into the world community".

He said that isolating China off may be the "feel good" solution, but it will not work. "You can't unilaterally isolate a country like China."

The senator said U.S.-China relations have improved over the past 20 years though there are ups and downs.



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