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TO COMMEND THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) FOR ITS RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES AND THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
Whereas, Taiwan and the United States are longstanding allies who both deeply cherish the common values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law; and
Whereas, the United States Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act in 1979, the Taiwan Travel Act in 2018, and the TAIPEI Act in 2019; and, in 2020, the United States and Taiwan enjoyed a high point in bilateral relations, including through the highest-ranking official visits in forty years and through the establishment of the US-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue and the US-Taiwan Educational Initiative, which led to the expansion of economic exchanges and promotion of academic freedom in English and Mandarin language instruction; and
Whereas, Taiwan is a beacon of democracy and freedom in the Asia-Pacific realm, despite continuous threats from the authoritarian neighbor of China, which has encroached on Taiwan's security by flying in Taiwan's air defense identification zone and across the median line of the Taiwan Strait, as well as degraded the freedom of Hong Kong through the 2020 Hong Kong National Security Law. Therefore, Taiwan's democracy needs to be supported by like-minded allies such as the South Carolina House of Representatives; and
Whereas, in 2020, Taiwan achieved immense success combatting the COVID-19 pandemic and contributed extensive resources to helping the international community through the global donation of tens of millions of surgical and N95 masks, hundreds of thousands of isolation gowns, and tens of thousands of forehead thermometers. This donation included 110,000 surgical and 20,000 N95 masks to the State of South Carolina; and
Whereas, beginning in January 2021, Taiwan will significantly ease import restrictions on United States pork and beef products, significantly growing the State of South Carolina and the United States agricultural exports to Taiwan and paving the way for deeper economic cooperation; and
Whereas, Taiwan is the United States' ninth largest trading partner, supporting an estimated 330,000 jobs in this country, and the United States is Taiwan's second largest trading partner. Taiwan is the tenth export market of South Carolina and the state's fifteenth largest import country, pouring some 934 million dollars worth of investments to South Carolina supporting an estimated 6,071 jobs for its citizens; and
Whereas, South Carolina welcomes all opportunities for an even closer economic partnership, such as the signing of a US-Taiwan Bilateral Trade Agreement, having established a trade office in Taiwan to enhance the special sister-state relationship since 1981 to encourage further business, educational, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges between the citizens of both nations, and to recover better together in the worldwide post-pandemic economic recovery efforts. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives commend and support Taiwan's democracy, freedom, and the nation's meaningful participation in international organizations and cooperation with the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, INTERPOL, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership; and support the signing of a US-Taiwan Bilateral Trade Agreement and an educational memorandum of understanding with South Carolina promoting student Mandarin and English study exchanges.
Be it further resolved that copies of this resolution be forwarded to Governor Henry McMaster, Secretary of State Mr. Mark Hammond, and Mr. Elliot Yi-lung Wang, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta.
This web page was last updated on February 24, 2021 at 10:43 AM