August 8, 2007 (LPAC)--The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution on Aug. 1 aimed at disrupting constructive relations between the US and China. The resolution calls on President George Bush to lift the ban on Taiwanese officials visiting the U.S. -- the first time that such an effort has gone so far in the Congress since the 1979 U.S. recognition of China and the implementation of various restrictions on Taiwan's relations with the U.S. Although introduced every year, the resolution has never before been voted out of committee to the floor of the House. Chinese officials have expressed their concern that the old anti-China gang in the US is showing its ugly face again, at a time when strong US-China relations are essential for dealing with global strategic and economic problems.

The resolution, introduced by the usual suspects, Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), passed unanimously by voice vote in the House, and will now go to the Senate. A similar bill was passed in June as part of the State Department funding bill, but was removed from the bill by the Senate Appropriations Committee.