Florida Senate - 2025 (NP) SR 1564
By Senator Calatayud
38-01891-25 20251564__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution expressing appreciation for the sister
3 state relationship and bilateral economic and cultural
4 ties between the State of Florida and Taiwan and
5 encouraging the Governor or his appointed designee to
6 lead a trade and economic delegation meeting in Taiwan
7 in 2025.
8
9 WHEREAS, the Taiwan Relations Act was signed into United
10 States law in 1979, formally establishing the basis for the
11 continued commercial and cultural relations between the people
12 of the United States and Taiwan, and
13 WHEREAS, the new administration of Taiwan launched its
14 signature Integrated Diplomacy in 2024 as proposed by President
15 Lai Ching-te, demonstrating that Taiwan is a pivotal force for
16 stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, and
17 WHEREAS, China frequently misrepresents the United Nations
18 General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758, which was never
19 intended to address Taiwan’s political status, in the
20 international community by conflating the resolution with
21 China’s “one China principle” and falsely claiming that Taiwan
22 is an inseparable part of the People’s Republic of China, and
23 WHEREAS, the United States Department of State, while
24 stating that China was using the UNGA Resolution 2758 as a tool
25 to falsely portray Taiwan’s status as illegitimate as a means to
26 suppress Taiwan in September 2024, also reaffirmed the
27 unwavering United States commitment to Taiwan and the long
28 standing efforts to preserve peace and stability across the
29 Taiwan Strait, and
30 WHEREAS, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton made
31 landfall in Florida in September and October 2024, respectively,
32 impacting vast areas and causing casualties and damage, and the
33 Government of Taiwan donated $300,000 through the Taipei
34 Economic and Culture Office in Miami to the Florida Disaster
35 Fund, and
36 WHEREAS, Taiwan is the United States’ seventh-largest
37 trading partner, as well as Florida’s fourth-largest bilateral
38 merchandise trading partner in the Asia-Pacific region, and
39 WHEREAS, the economy of Taiwan has benefited from the
40 rising global demand for high-performance computing and
41 artificial intelligence, reaching a growth rate exceeding 4
42 percent in 2024, and
43 WHEREAS, a Florida high-tech delegation led by
44 SelectFlorida visited Taiwan in May 2024 to explore the
45 feasibility of Taiwan-Florida semiconductor industry
46 cooperation, successfully establishing another connection
47 between Taiwan and Florida, and
48 WHEREAS, Taiwan and Florida signed the Memorandum of
49 Understanding on bilateral economic and trade cooperation on
50 January 8, 2025, embodying the determination of both sides to
51 advance toward a stronger partnership on mutual trade, industry,
52 and investment activities, and
53 WHEREAS, in November 2024, the Taiwanese Chambers of
54 Commerce of North America for the first time held its annual
55 meeting in Fort Lauderdale with more than 500 global delegates
56 in attendance, an indication of the global recognition of
57 Florida’s role as a hub for trade and investment in the Western
58 Hemisphere, and
59 WHEREAS, since November 1, 2012, Taiwan has been a member
60 of the United States Visa Waiver Program, which enhances the
61 convenience of two-way travel for business and tourism,
62 reflecting the cooperation between the United States and Taiwan,
63 and
64 WHEREAS, the launch of FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 on June 25,
65 2019, a joint United States-Taiwan collaborative space mission
66 consisting of a constellation of six satellites designed to
67 enhance the accuracy of atmospheric weather prediction, has
68 demonstrated the mutual benefit born from the relations between
69 Florida and Taiwan, and
70 WHEREAS, Taiwan actively participates in international
71 organizations, including the World Health Assembly, the United
72 Nations, the International Criminal Police Organization, and the
73 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, while
74 also maintaining its membership status in both the Asia-Pacific
75 Economic Cooperation and the World Trade Organization, as well
76 as participating, observing, and cooperating with more than 50
77 additional international organizations, and
78 WHEREAS, the economic bonds between the United States and
79 Taiwan continue to flourish, embodied by the signing of the
80 U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade First Agreement
81 Implementation Act in August 2023; the extension of the Economic
82 Prosperity Partnership Dialogue Memorandum of Understanding for
83 an additional 5 years; Taiwan’s inclusion in the Indo-Pacific
84 Economic Framework for Prosperity; and the introduction of the
85 U.S.-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act in Congress in
86 January 2025, and
87 WHEREAS, since the establishment of the Taipei Economic and
88 Cultural Office in Miami in 1988, Taiwan has developed multiple
89 sister state and sister city relations with Florida, and this
90 state is proud of its 33-year-long sister state relationship
91 with Taiwan, NOW, THEREFORE,
92
93 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
94
95 That the Senate expresses its appreciation for the sister
96 state relationship and bilateral economic and cultural ties
97 between the State of Florida and Taiwan.
98 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, to further fortify the
99 significant friendship between Taiwan and Florida, the Governor
100 of Florida, or a designee of his choosing, is encouraged to lead
101 a trade and economic delegation meeting in Taiwan in 2025, and
102 that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to President Lai
103 Ching-te through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in
104 Miami and to the Executive Office of the Governor as a tangible
105 token of the sentiments expressed herein.