A Research on US Congress Members’Taiwan Visits (1997-2008)

　　Abstract: Taiwan is frequently visited by members of the US Congress. This paper analyzes official records to uncover the distribution, frequency, and determining factors of their visits between 1997 and 2008. This analysis makes three main discoveries. First, there was a correlation between the frequency of the visits and the political change in Taiwan. To a lesser extent, there are also evidences to link US Congress elections calendar to these visits. Second, the intervening “power” entrusted to the US Congress and its members, through the “Taiwan Relations Act”, was the most fundamental reason for these visits, especially those related to the issues of diplomacy, military and intelligence. Third, ideology, electoral interests and trade relations also contributed to the decisions for the visits.

　　Authors: ZHANG Guang, Professor, School of Public Affairs, Xiamen University; DIAO Daming, Postdoctorate, Center for USChina Relations, Tsinghua University; YUAN Ting, PhD Candidate, both of Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University