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HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Relations between the Republic of China (Taiwan)
3and the United States, in particular the State of Illinois,
4which shares sister-city and sister-state relationships, are
5marked by strong bilateral trade, educational and cultural
6exchanges, and tourism; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Taiwan, which is the world's 19th-largest
8economy, shares with the United States and the State of
9Illinois the common values of freedom, democracy, human rights,
10and a commitment to the rule of law; and
 
11    WHEREAS, As of 2014, Taiwan is the United States'
1210th-largest trading partner in the world, with bilateral trade
13worth US $67.4 billion, and is the United States' 14th-largest
14export market, with total U.S. exports worth US $26.8 billion,
15and its 12th-largest source of imports; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Taiwan and the State of Illinois have enjoyed a
17long and mutually beneficial relationship and anticipate
18continuing growth, as Illinois in 2014 continued to rank 5th
19among all U.S. states in the value of overall exports to
20Taiwan, worth US $940.13 billion, a 2% increase in value over
21its 2013 exports to Taiwan; Taiwan ranks as Illinois'
2215th-largest export market, its 6th-largest market in Asia, and

 

 

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1its 9th-largest source of imports; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Taiwan has consistently imported between US $2.5
3billion and US $3 billion of U.S. farm products annually and is
4the world's 2nd largest consumer per-capita of U.S.
5agricultural goods in 2013; the Illinois economy has greatly
6benefited from Taiwan's reliably large imports of Illinois farm
7products, which in 2014 were worth US $578.4 million for
8agricultural products (US $532.4 million) and food
9manufactures (US $46 million) combined, together comprising
1061.5% of Illinois' total exports to Taiwan that year; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Taiwan, in order to contribute to greater regional
12integration in the Asia-Pacific region and to further promote
13bilateral investment and trade relations with the United
14States, Taiwan's 2nd-largest trading partner, seeks to join the
15Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the proposed 21st century
16trade agreement between the United States and currently 11
17other Asia-Pacific Rim countries; the United States has
18announced its intention that membership in the TPP expand in
19the future to include other friendly countries, such as Taiwan;
20and
 
21    WHEREAS, Taiwan is the 19th-largest economy, the
2220th-largest exporter, and the 18th-largest importer in the
23world, according to the 2013 World Trade Organization report;

 

 

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1Taiwan also should be included in regional economic integration
2due to its status as an important economic power, a dynamic
3market economy, and leading supplier of high-tech products; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Taiwan ranks as the world's 14th-freest economy
5and the 8th freest in the Asian Pacific, according to the 2015
6Index of Economic Freedom; Taiwan also ranks as the 13th-most
7competitive economy worldwide and the 6th most competitive in
8the Asian Pacific, according to the Swiss-based International
9Institute for Management Development's 2014 report; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Taiwan's admission to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program
11in November of 2012 has, as predicted, led to increased tourist
12and business travel from Taiwan, increasing more than 29% in
13the 8 months after Taiwan joined the Visa Waiver Program,
14according to the April 2014 testimony of U.S. State Department
15Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel
16R. Russel, who acknowledged the Department's pleasure with the
17result as "foreign visitors to the United States generate
18stateside jobs"; moreover, travel by Taiwanese visitors to the
19United States remains higher than in prior years, having
20increased 33% in 2013 and 7% in the first half of 2014; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Negotiations for a bilateral investment agreement
22between Taiwan and the United States are an important step
23toward further strengthening bilateral trade and paving the way

 

 

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1for entering into a free trade agreement between our 2
2countries, thereby increasing Illinois's exports to Taiwan and
3creating bilateral investment and technical collaboration
4through tariff reduction and other trade facilitation
5measures; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Taiwan, as a full-fledged democracy that shares
7the same values of freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule
8of law, peace, and prosperity with the United States and the
9State of Illinois, should be allowed to participate
10appropriately in international organizations, such as the
11United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, so as to
12advance the welfare of the 23 million people of Taiwan and
13further contribute to the international community; therefore,
14be it
 
15    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
16NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
17reaffirm our commitment to the strong and deepening sister-city
18and sister-state relationships between Taiwan and the State of
19Illinois; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That we reaffirm our continued support for
21Taiwan's efforts to secure entry to the Trans-Pacific
22Partnership to contribute to greater regional integration; and
23be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That we reaffirm our continued endorsement of the
2signing of a bilateral investment agreement between Taiwan and
3the United States to promote Taiwan's bilateral investment and
4trade relations with the United States and facilitate its
5economic and other ties with Illinois and the individual
6states; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That we reaffirm our support for Taiwan's
8participation in international organizations, such as the
9United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, that
10impact the health, safety, and well-being of Taiwan; and be it
11further
 
12    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
13presented to United States Secretary of State John F. Kerry,
14United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
15Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres, and the Taipei
16Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago.