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Introduced Version Senate Resolution 19 History

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SENATE RESOLUTION 19

(By Senators Blair (Mr. President), Hamilton, Stollings, Baldwin, Roberts, Lindsay, and Rucker)

[Introduced March 11, 2021]

 

Reaffirming the sister-state partnership between the State of West Virginia and Taiwan.

Whereas, The Republic of China (Taiwan) and the United States have enjoyed a longstanding partnership and share the common values of freedom, democracy and human rights. In 2020, Taiwan was ranked as the 2nd freest country in Asia by Freedom House, and was ranked 11th among 180 world economies in terms of economic freedom by the Heritage Foundation, demonstrating the strength and vitality of its democratic system and showcasing Taiwan as a beacon of democracy in East Asia; and

Whereas, The State of West Virginia is proud of the sister-state partnership it has enjoyed with Taiwan since August 4, 1980, marked by strong bilateral trade, educational and cultural exchanges. In 2021, the State of West Virginia celebrates the 41st anniversary of the sister-state partnership with Taiwan and looks forward to an even closer relationship between West Virginia and Taiwan in the future; and

Whereas, Taiwan has effectively contained the spread of COVID-19 through advanced deployment and the provision of open and transparent information. The Taiwan model of COVID-19 prevention has become an internationally recognized paradigm for effectively containing the spread of the pandemic. In 2020, Taiwan donated 30,000 surgical face masks to the State of West Virginia to protect frontline health workers, demonstrating that Taiwan stands strong with the Mountain State in the face of difficult times; and

Whereas, In 2019, the bilateral trade between West Virginia and Taiwan amounted to nearly $94.5 million and Taiwan is our seventh-largest export market in Asia, demonstrating that Taiwan is an important trading partner of West Virginia; and

Whereas, West Virginia welcomes all opportunities for an even closer economic partnership to increase trade and investment, supports Taiwan’s effort to secure the signing of a U.S.-Taiwan Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) to boost greater West Virginia exports to Taiwan and considers it recommendable to re-open a trade office in Taiwan to bring in more Taiwanese investment such as the $34 million project which Far Eastern New Century Corporation introduced in 2018; and

Whereas, The United States and Taiwan have forged ever stronger economic and security relations over the last four decades based on their shared commitment to democracy, the rule of law and free market principles; with the United States now Taiwan’s second-largest trading partner and second-largest destination of Taiwan outward investment; and with Taiwan now the 9th largest trading partner of the United States and a key destination for United States agricultural exports; and

Whereas, In the 2019/20 academic year, 23,724 students from Taiwan studied in the U.S., making Taiwan the seventh-leading place of origin for students coming to the U.S. and contributed more than $991 million to the U.S. economy, through their spending on tuition, accommodation and living expenses. On December 2, 2020, the American Institute in Taiwan and TECRO inked an MOU on International Education Cooperation, aiming at enhancing the cooperation and collaboration between the U.S. and Taiwan on international education, particularly in the area of language education. West Virginia welcomes more opportunities for educational exchanges with Taiwan; and

Whereas, Taiwan has been proven to be a very valuable contributor in a broad range of global issues, and it is necessary for Taiwan to be granted access to meaningfully participate in various international organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL); and

Resolved by the Senate:

That the Senate hereby reaffirms the sister-state partnership between the State of West Virginia and Taiwan; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Senate expresses its support for a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) between the United States and the Republic of China (Taiwan) and support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation and contributions in international organizations; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Honorable James C. Justice II, Governor of West Virginia, and Ms. Bi-khim Hsiao, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States.

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