Download This Version in Microsoft Word format
TO COMMEND TAIWAN FOR ITS MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES AND THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
Whereas, Taiwan and the United States are like-minded in that both deeply cherish the common values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law; and
Whereas, Taiwan has been experiencing continuous threats from the authoritarian neighbor of China, which has encroached on Taiwan's security by flying in Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), disseminating disinformation and launching cyber-attacks, and repeatedly excluding Taiwan from the international system, as demonstrated through its denial of Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA); and
Whereas, in 2021, the United States and Taiwan have experienced strengthening in bilateral relations: the State Department has loosened restrictions on official contacts with Taiwan; both sides resumed the eleventh Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council meeting; the United States continues to approve its arms sales to Taiwan, demonstrating that the United States has always placed great importance on Taiwan's defense capabilities; Taiwan and the United States, along with Japan, welcomed Australia as the fourth official partner of the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF); and most recently, the United States included Taiwan in the 2021 Summit for Democracy; and
Whereas, Taiwan has contributed extensive resources to help the international community, including the United States, to combat the COVID-19 pandemic through the global donation of tens of millions of surgical and N95 masks, hundreds of thousands of isolation gowns, and tens of thousands of thermometers. Reciprocally, the United States has donated four million doses of the Moderna vaccine to Taiwan; and
Whereas, Taiwan ranks as the second-freest country in Asia, scoring 94 out of 100 and seventh in the world in Freedom House's latest report on global freedom; and
Whereas, Taiwan is the United States' ninth-largest trading partner, and the United States is Taiwan's second-largest trading partner; Taiwan supports an estimated 330,000 jobs in the United States; Taiwan is the ninth export market of South Carolina, South Carolina's tenth largest import country, investing 786 million dollars to South Carolina and supporting an estimated 6,071 jobs in the State of South Carolina; and
Whereas, South Carolina welcomes all opportunities for an even closer partnership on 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, by this resolution, commend Taiwan for its mutually beneficial relations with the United States and the State of South Carolina.
Be it further resolved that the House of Representatives encourages the members of this body to join the Southeastern State Legislature Caucus (SESTC), calling like-minded states and international communities to support Taiwan's democracy, freedom, and the meaningful participation in international organizations and cooperation, such as the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, INTERPOL, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and CPTPP.
Be it further resolved that the House of Representatives supports the early start of negotiations on a US-Taiwan Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), as Taiwanese companies are looking for diverse and free markets in the United States instead of China.
Be it further resolved that the House of Representatives urges South Carolina to sign K-12 and higher education cooperation MOUs aiming at Mandarin-English language exchange programs in order to encourage its officials and members of legislature to conduct more frequent exchanges with their Taiwanese counterparts.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Governor Henry McMaster, Secretary of State Mark Hammond, and Mr. Elliot Wang, Director-General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta.
This web page was last updated on January 12, 2022 at 3:59 PM