Florida Senate - 2021 SR 502
By Senator Rodriguez
39-00865-21 2021502__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution recognizing the relationship and shared
3 interests between the United States and Taiwan and
4 expressing support for future opportunities of
5 international trade developments with Taiwan.
6
7 WHEREAS, the United States and Taiwan have maintained a
8 close friendship over the decades that encompasses commercial,
9 cultural, and other interactions based on the 1979 Taiwan
10 Relations Act, enacted by the 96th United States Congress, and
11 WHEREAS, since November 1, 2012, Taiwan has been a member
12 of the United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which makes two
13 way travel for business and tourism more convenient, reflecting
14 the cooperation between the United States and Taiwan, and
15 WHEREAS, the launch of FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 on June 25,
16 2019, a joint United States-Taiwan collaborative space mission
17 of a constellation of six satellites designed to enhance the
18 accuracy of atmospheric weather prediction, has demonstrated the
19 mutual benefit born of the relations between this country and
20 Taiwan, and
21 WHEREAS, the first female president of Taiwan, elected in
22 2016 and reelected for a second term on January 11, 2020, Dr.
23 Tsai Ing-wen was welcomed to the State of Florida in June of
24 2016, as were Speaker of Tainan City Council Kuo Hsin-liang and
25 his delegation in February of 2020, further enhancing the
26 bilateral relationship between Taiwan and this state, as well as
27 strengthening the common values Taiwan shares with this country,
28 and
29 WHEREAS, the United States has provided Taiwan with
30 advanced defensive weaponry through the sale of military
31 aircraft, communications and defense systems, and munitions, as
32 Taiwan promotes regional stability in the Western Pacific, and
33 WHEREAS, the United States Congress has encouraged and
34 supported Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international
35 organizations such as the United Nations Framework Convention on
36 Climate Change (UNFCCC), the International Civil Aviation
37 Organization (ICAO), and the International Criminal Police
38 Organization (INTERPOL), along with its recent bid for observer
39 status in the World Health Assembly (WHA), and
40 WHEREAS, Taiwan has further demonstrated its pragmatic and
41 professional engagement with the international community by
42 participating in, observing, or cooperating with over fifty
43 international organizations and holding membership status in
44 both the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the World
45 Trade Organization (WTO), and
46 WHEREAS, bilateral dialogue between the United States and
47 Taiwan has resulted in the recent expansion of American pork and
48 beef imports to Taiwan, and the United States-Taiwan continued
49 efforts toward exploring the possibilities for a future
50 bilateral trade agreement will help Taiwan globalize its economy
51 and eliminate trade barriers, thereby solidifying Taiwan as a
52 robust and trustworthy partner of the United States for trade
53 and security in East Asia, and
54 WHEREAS, Taiwan is the United States’ ninth largest trading
55 partner as of October 2020 and the State of Florida’s sixth
56 largest export market in Asia, garnering the Sunshine State over
57 $1,147 million in bilateral trade and investment in 2019, an
58 increase of 15.6 percent from 2018, and
59 WHEREAS, several sisterhood relations exist between the
60 State of Florida and Taiwan, including the sister relationships
61 between Miami-Dade County and New Taipei City, formerly Taipei
62 County; the Port of Miami and the Port of Kaohsiung; the City of
63 Orlando and Tainan City; the City of Sunny Isles Beach and
64 Hengchun Township; and the City of Fort Lauderdale, the City of
65 Miami, and the City of Pensacola and Kaohsiung City, and
66 WHEREAS, to assist the State of Florida in its fight
67 against the virus causing COVID-19, Taiwan has donated to the
68 state and its local governments over 420,000 medical masks,
69 demonstrating the Taiwan’s commitment to helping its
70 international partners in need, NOW, THEREFORE,
71
72 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
73
74 That the relationship and shared interests between the
75 people of Taiwan and the United States are recognized.
76 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate expresses its
77 support for future opportunities of international trade
78 developments with Taiwan to further strengthen the substantive
79 relationship between the State of Florida and Taiwan.
80 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be
81 transmitted to President Tsai Ing-wen through the Taipei
82 Economic and Cultural Office in Miami and to the Executive
83 Office of the Governor as a tangible token of the sentiments
84 expressed herein.