Executive Orders

Executive Order 12143--Maintaining unofficial relations with the people on Taiwan

Source: The provisions of Executive Order 12143 of June 22, 1979, appear at 44 FR 37191, 3 CFR, 1979 Comp., p. 402, unless otherwise noted.

In light of the recognition of the People's Republic of China by the United States of America as the sole legal government of China, and by the authority vested in me as President of the United States of America, by the Taiwan Relations Act (Public Law 96-8, 93 Stat. 14, 22 U.S.C. 3301 et seq., hereinafter referred to as "the Act"), and Section 301 of Title 3 of the United States Code, in order to facilitate the maintenance of commercial, cultural and other relations between the people of the United States and the people on Taiwan without official representation or diplomatic relations, it is hereby ordered as follows:

1-1. Delegation and Reservation of Functions.

1-101. Exclusive of the functions otherwise delegated, or reserved to the President, by this Order, there are delegated to the Secretary of State all functions conferred upon the President by the Act. In carrying out these functions, the Secretary of State shall consult with other departments and agencies as appropriate.

1-102. There are delegated to the Director of the Office of Personnel Management the functions conferred upon the President by paragraphs (1) and (2) of Section 11(a) of the Act. These functions shall be exercised in consultation with the Secretary of State.

1-103. There are reserved to the President the functions conferred upon the President by Section 3, Section 7(a)(3), and the second sentence of Section 9(b), and the determination specified in Section 10(a) of the Act.

1-2. Specification of Laws and Determinations.

1-201. Pursuant to Section 7(a) of the Act, I specify the following provisions of law:
(a) Section 4082 of the Revised Statutes (22 U.S.C. 1172);
(b) Section 1707 of the Revised Statutes (22 U.S.C. 1173);
(c) Section 1708 of the Revised Statutes (22 U.S.C. 1174);
(d) Section 1709 of the Revised Statutes, as amended (22 U.S.C. 1175);
(e) Section 1710 of the Revised Statutes, as amended (22 U.S.C. 1176);
(f) Section 1711 of the Revised Statutes, as amended (22 U.S.C. 1177);
(g) Section 1718 of the Revised Statutes (22 U.S.C. 1185); and
(h) Section 7 of the Act of April 5, 1906 (22 U.S.C. 1195).

1-202. Pursuant to Section 9(b) of the Act, and in furtherance of the purposes of the Act, the procurement of services may be effected without regard to the following provisions of law and limitations of authority:
(a) Section 3648 of the Revised Statutes, as amended (31 U.S.C. 529);
(b) Section 9 of the Act of June 30, 1906 (31 U.S.C. 627), and Section 3679 and 3732 of the Revised Statutes (31 U.S.C. 665; 41 U.S.C. 11), to the extent necessary to permit the indemnification of contractors against unusually hazardous risks, as defined in Institute contracts, consistent, to the extent practicable, with regulations prescribed by the Department of Defense pursuant to the provisions of the Act of August 28, 1958 (50 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.), and Executive Order No. 10789 of November 14, 1958, as amended;
(c) Section 3709 of the Revised Statutes and Section 302 of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (41 U.S.C. 5, 252);
(d) Section 3710 of the Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 8);
(e) Section 2 of Title III of the Act of March 3, 1933 (41 U.S.C. 10a);
(f) Section 3735 of the Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 13);
(g) Section 304(b) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (41 U.S.C. 254(b)), so as to permit the payment of fees in excess of the prescribed fee limitations, but nothing herein shall be construed as authorizing the use of the cost-plus-a-percentage-of-cost system of contracting;
(h) Section 305 of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (41 U.S.C. 255);
(i) Sections 2 through 16 of the Contract Disputes Act of 1978 (41 U.S.C. 601-613);
(j) Sections 2304, 2305 and 2306(a) through (f) of Title 10 of the United States Code, but nothing herein shall be construed as authorizing the use of the cost-plus-a-percentage-of-cost system of contracting; and
(k) Section 719 of the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. App. 2168).

1-203. (a) With respect to cost-type contracts with the American Institute in Taiwan under which no fee is charged or paid, amendments and modifications of such contracts may be made with or without consideration and may be utilized to accomplish the same things as any original contract could have accomplished, irrespective of the time or circumstances of the making, or the form of the contract amended or modified, or of the amending or modifying contract and irrespective of rights which may have accrued under the contract or the amendments or modifications thereof.
(b) With respect to contracts heretofore or hereafter made under the Act, other than those described in subsection (a) of this Section, amendments and modifications of such contracts may be made with or without consideration and may be utilized to accomplish the same things as any original contract could have accomplished, irrespective of the time or circumstances of the making, or the form of the contract amended or modified, or of the amending or modifying contract, and irrespective of rights which may have accrued under the contract or the amendments or modifications thereof, if the Secretary of State determines in each case that such action is necessary to protect the foreign policy interests of the United States.

1-204. Pursuant to Section 10(a) of the Act, the Coordination Council for North American Affairs is determined to be the unofficial instrumentality established by the people on Taiwan having the necessary authority under the laws applied by the people on Taiwan to provide assurances and take other actions on behalf of Taiwan in accordance with the Act.

1-3. President's Memorandum of December 30, 1978.

1-301. This Order supersedes my memorandum of December 30, 1978 for all departments and agencies entitled "Relations With the People on Taiwan" (44 FR 1075). Agreements and arrangements referred to in paragraph (B) of that memorandum shall continue in force and shall be performed in accordance with the Act and this Order.