Bill Text: IA SR21 | 2015-2016 | 86th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: A resolution reaffirming Iowa's commitment to its relationship with Taiwan and supporting Taiwan's efforts to participate in the international community.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-03-26 - Resolution adopted. S.J. 718. [SR21 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2015-SR21-Introduced.html
Senate Resolution 21 - Introduced

PAG LIN




                    SENATE RESOLUTION NO.    
         BY  DOTZLER, HART, KAPUCIAN, SCHNEIDER, and SODDERS
  1  1 A Resolution reaffirming Iowa's commitment to its
  1  2    relationship with Taiwan and supporting Taiwan's
  1  3    efforts to participate in the international
  1  4    community.
  1  5    WHEREAS, the relationship between the Republic
  1  6 of China (Taiwan) and the United States is marked
  1  7 by strong bilateral trade, educational and cultural
  1  8 exchange, and tourism; and
  1  9    WHEREAS, the State of Iowa's ties with Taiwan are
  1 10 demonstrated by its sister=state and sister=city
  1 11 relationships; and
  1 12    WHEREAS, Taiwan shares with the United States
  1 13 and the State of Iowa the common values of freedom,
  1 14 democracy, human rights, and rule of law; and
  1 15    WHEREAS, in 2013 the United States ranked as
  1 16 Taiwan's 3rd largest trading partner and Taiwan ranked
  1 17 as the United States' 12th largest trading partner,
  1 18 with bilateral trade of $63.6 billion; and
  1 19    WHEREAS, Taiwan has consistently imported between
  1 20 $2.5 billion and $3 billion annually worth of United
  1 21 States farm products, and is the 7th largest market for
  1 22 United States agricultural products and the world's 2nd
  1 23 largest buyer per=capita of United States agricultural
  1 24 goods; and
  1 25    WHEREAS, Taiwan and the State of Iowa have enjoyed
  1 26 a long and mutually beneficial trade relationship and
  1 27 anticipate continuing trade growth, with Taiwan ranking
  1 28 as Iowa's 16th largest export destination in 2013; and
  2  1 WHEREAS, $97.4 million worth of goods from the State
  2  2 of Iowa were shipped to Taiwan in 2013 and comprised,
  2  3 in order, food manufactures, miscellaneous manufactured
  2  4 commodities, chemicals, machinery, paper, and computer
  2  5 and electronic products; and
  2  6    WHEREAS, the State of Iowa hosted a Taiwan
  2  7 Agricultural Goodwill Mission delegation in 2013,
  2  8 reaffirming the cordial relations between Iowa
  2  9 and Taiwan and the ongoing mutual trade benefits
  2 10 derived from Taiwan's reliable imports of Iowa farm
  2 11 products, which in 2013 totaled $63.5 million for food
  2 12 manufactures and agricultural products combined; and
  2 13    WHEREAS, Taiwan, seeking to contribute to greater
  2 14 regional integration in the Asia=Pacific region and
  2 15 promotion of bilateral investment and trade relations
  2 16 with the United States, should be included in regional
  2 17 economic integration based on its status as the world's
  2 18 19th largest economy, 20th largest exporter, and 18th
  2 19 largest importer, according to a 2013 World Trade
  2 20 Organization report; and also due to its status as an
  2 21 important economic power, a dynamic market economy, and
  2 22 leading supplier of high=tech products; and
  2 23    WHEREAS, Taiwan ranks as the 17th most free economy
  2 24 in the world according to the 2014 Index of Economic
  2 25 Freedom, and the 5th most free economy among 42
  2 26 economies in the Asia=Pacific region ranked only behind
  2 27 Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand; and
  2 28    WHEREAS, according to the Swiss=based International
  2 29 Institute for Management Development's 2014 report,
  2 30 Taiwan ranks as the 13th most competitive economy
  3  1 worldwide and the 4th most competitive economy in the
  3  2 Asian Pacific; and
  3  3    WHEREAS, negotiations for a bilateral investment
  3  4 agreement between Taiwan and the United States are an
  3  5 important step toward further strengthening bilateral
  3  6 trade and paving the way for entering into a free trade
  3  7 agreement between our two nations, thereby increasing
  3  8 the State of Iowa's exports to Taiwan and creating
  3  9 bilateral investment and technical collaboration
  3 10 through tariff reduction and other trade facilitation
  3 11 measures; and
  3 12    WHEREAS, Taiwan has been and can continue to be a
  3 13 valuable and constructive partner in the international
  3 14 response to the adverse effects of climate change and
  3 15 severe weather emergencies as evidenced by its speedy
  3 16 and generous response to aid the victims of Typhoon
  3 17 Haiyan; NOW THEREFORE,
  3 18    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate
  3 19 reaffirms its commitment to the strong and deepening
  3 20 sister=city and sister=state relationships between
  3 21 Taiwan and the State of Iowa, its support for Taiwan's
  3 22 efforts to secure the signing of a bilateral investment
  3 23 agreement with the United States, and its support for
  3 24 Taiwan's appropriate participation in international
  3 25 organizations that impact Taiwan's health, safety, and
  3 26 well=being; and
  3 27    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Secretary of
  3 28 the Senate is hereby directed to send a copy of this
  3 29 Resolution to United States Secretary of State John
  3 30 F. Kerry, President Ma Ying=jeou of the Republic of
  4  1 China (Taiwan), Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres
  4  2 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
  4  3 Change, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in
  4  4 Chicago, Illinois.
       LSB 2624SS (1) 86
       rn/rj
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