CONTACT BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE OF CHINA ON POW/MIA ISSUES.

SEC. 1033. CONTACT BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND THE MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE OF CHINA ON POW/MIA ISSUES. (a) Findings.— Congress makes the following findings: (1) The Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs of the Senate, in its final report, dated January 13, 1993, concluded— (A) that “many American POWs had been held in China during the Korean conflict and that foreign POW camps in both China and North Korea were run by Chinese officials”; and (B) that “given the fact that only 26 Army and 15 Air Force personnel returned from China following the war, the committee can now firmly conclude that the People’s Republic of China surely has information on the fate of other unaccounted for American POWs from the Korean conflict.”. (2) The Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs recommended in that report that “the Department of State and Defense form a POW/MIA task force on China similar to Task Force Russia.”. (3) Neither the Department of Defense nor the Department of State has held substantive discussions with officials from the People’s Republic of China concerning unaccounted for American prisoners of war of the Korean conflict. (b) Sense of Congress.— It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense should establish contact with officials of the Ministry of Defense of the People’s Republic of China regarding unresolved issues relating to American prisoners of war and American personnel missing in action as a result of the Korean conflict.