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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is proud of the sisterhood | ||||||
| 3 | relationship it has enjoyed
with Taiwan since 1992, marked by | ||||||
| 4 | strong bilateral trade, educational and cultural
exchanges, | ||||||
| 5 | and tourism; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, The Republic of China (Taiwan) shares the same | ||||||
| 7 | values of freedom,
democracy, human rights, the rule of law, | ||||||
| 8 | peace, and prosperity with the United States
and the State of | ||||||
| 9 | Illinois; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, The United States ranks as Taiwan's | ||||||
| 11 | second-largest trading partner;
Taiwan is the eleventh-largest | ||||||
| 12 | trading partner of the United States, and bilateral trade
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| 13 | reached US$ 68.2 billion in 2017; and | ||||||
| 14 | WHEREAS, The United States Congress passed the landmark | ||||||
| 15 | Taiwan Relations Act
(TRA) in 1979 to sustain a close bilateral | ||||||
| 16 | relationship between the United States and
Taiwan, as well as | ||||||
| 17 | to advance their mutual security and commercial interests, and | ||||||
| 18 | the
TRA has served as the cornerstone of U.S.-Taiwan relations | ||||||
| 19 | and has helped to preserve
peace and stability in the Taiwan | ||||||
| 20 | Strait; and
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| 21 | WHEREAS, Taiwan and the State of Illinois have enjoyed a | ||||||
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| 1 | long and mutually
beneficial relationship with the prospect of | ||||||
| 2 | future growth, and Taiwan was Illinois's
eighth-largest export | ||||||
| 3 | market in Asia in 2017, with US$ 669 million worth of Illinois
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| 4 | goods exported to Taiwan; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Negotiations for a Bilateral Trade Agreement | ||||||
| 6 | (BTA) between Taiwan and
the United States are an important | ||||||
| 7 | step toward further strengthening bilateral trade
between our | ||||||
| 8 | countries, thereby increasing Illinois exports to Taiwan and | ||||||
| 9 | creating
bilateral investment and technical collaboration | ||||||
| 10 | through tariff reduction and other trade
facilitation | ||||||
| 11 | measures; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, Taiwan has undertaken a policy of "steadfast | ||||||
| 13 | diplomacy" in its
international relations; Taiwan is capable of | ||||||
| 14 | fulfilling and willing to fulfill its responsibilities and
to | ||||||
| 15 | collaborate with the world to deal with the challenges of | ||||||
| 16 | humanitarian aid, disease
control, and so forth; therefore, be | ||||||
| 17 | it
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| 18 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | ||||||
| 19 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commemorate the 40th | ||||||
| 20 | anniversary of the
Taiwan Relations Act enacted by the United | ||||||
| 21 | States Congress and reiterate our support for a closer economic | ||||||
| 22 | and trade partnership between the United States and Taiwan; and | ||||||
| 23 | be it further | ||||||
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| 1 | RESOLVED, That we endorse Taiwan's efforts to secure the | ||||||
| 2 | signing of a
Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) with the United | ||||||
| 3 | States; and be it further | ||||||
| 4 | RESOLVED, That we continue to support Taiwan's | ||||||
| 5 | participation in
international organizations, which impact the | ||||||
| 6 | health, safety, and well-being of its
people, and support its | ||||||
| 7 | aspiration to make more contributions to the global
community; | ||||||
| 8 | and be it further
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| 9 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 10 | delivered to all members of
the Illinois Congressional | ||||||
| 11 | Delegation and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office
in | ||||||
| 12 | Chicago.
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