Bill Text: IL HR0115 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Congratulates Taiwan on gaining inclusion in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program in 2012, welcomes the U.S.-Taiwan trade talks, and expresses support for Taiwan's efforts to secure entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-2)

Status: (Passed) 2013-04-30 - Resolution Adopted [HR0115 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2013-HR0115-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Republic of China (Taiwan) marked its
centennial in 2011 and began its second century as the world's
19th-largest economy (as of 2011) and has achieved economic and
social stability; and
WHEREAS, In 2011, Taiwan ranked as the United States'
10th-largest trading partner in the world and is the United
States' 15th-largest export market, with U.S. exports to Taiwan
in 2011 worth $25.9 billion U.S., and its 9th-largest source of
imports (in 2010); and
WHEREAS, In the last 2 decades, Taiwan has been praised as
a beacon of democracy for Asia, having successfully completed
its parliamentary elections and its 5th direct, popular
presidential election on January 14, 2012, electing to a second
term, President Ma Ying-jeou, who was inaugurated on May 20,
2012; and
WHEREAS, Taiwan has taken great steps forward to enter the
world arena as a trusted partner; for each year since 2009,
Taiwan has participated as an observer in the World Health
Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO); in 2012,
Taiwan celebrated its 20th anniversary of participation in the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (AFEC) forum, of which the

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United States is a longtime and respected member; and
WHEREAS, Last fall the government of the United States
announced the inclusion of Taiwan in the U.S. Visa Waiver
Program; effective November 1, 2012, Taiwan became the 37th
member to receive visa-free travel privileges to the United
States and only the 5th Asian country with visa-free status
(behind Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Brunei); it is
expected that more Taiwanese will come to the United States for
business and tourism, increasing spending of tourist dollars
and facilitating business, trade, and investment in the United
States, thus contributing to the U.S. and local economies and
strengthening bilateral relations and ties with the individual
states, including Illinois; moreover, Taiwan is grateful to the
United States, and, in particular, to the Illinois House of
Representatives for its support in this effort; and
WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has a strong economic and
cultural relationship with Taiwan since establishing
sister-state relations in 1992; in 2011, Illinois ranked 5th
among U.S. states in the value of overall exports to Taiwan,
which increased 47% that year and were worth almost $1.2
billion U.S.; these figures rose from $812 million U.S. in
2010, when Illinois exports to Taiwan ranked 6th among U.S.
states; and

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WHEREAS, Taiwan is the world's 6th-largest market for
United States agricultural goods, with Taiwan having sent 26
agricultural missions to the United States between 1978 and
2011; these missions have enhanced the mutually beneficial
trade relations and permanent friendship between the 2
countries, and promoted ties between Taiwan and Illinois, which
hosted the Taiwan soybean and corn delegation in 2011 in
Springfield and Rockford; the Illinois economy has benefited
fram Taiwan's consistently large imports of Illinois
agricultural products; in 2011, the State's agricultural
exports to Taiwan, worth $739.24 million U.S., comprised almost
62% of Illinois' total exports to Taiwan and increased 82% from
the State's 2010 agricultural exports to Taiwan ($406.78
million U.S.); and
WHEREAS, International airline safety and security have
been major global concerns since 2001; Taiwan, a key transport
hub in the Asia-Pacific region, has more than one million
flights per year passing through the Taipei Flight Information
Region and has one of the world's largest airports by cargo
volume, Taoyuan International Airport Taiwan; Taiwan seeks
meaningful participation with observer status in the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), but has not
been accorded it and is not a member, leaving a gap in the
aviation security and navigation system; Taiwan can be a
valuable and constructive partner to the ICAO in the global

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strategy to address airline safety and security based on
effective international cooperation, while Taiwan's
participation in that international organization can also
narrow the security gap, reduce the exposure to threats, and
increase aviation safety; and
WHEREAS, The Taiwan government continually seeks to
demonstrate its willingness to contribute its resources and
know-how to the international community, such as its swift
delivery of humanitarian assistance to Haiti following the 2010
earthquake in that country; the aid was expedited by the United
States, which generously aided Taiwan in rescue and recovery
after Typhoon Morakot; Taiwan also seeks to contribute to
peace, freedom, and security in the world as a responsible
stakeholder and peaceable nation of 23 million citizens through
the Republic of China's policies, such as "flexible diplomacy"
in foreign affairs and its pragmatic approach to relations with
mainland China, as demonstrated by the historic passage in 2010
and implementation in 2011 of the Economic Cooperation
Framework Agreement between Taipei and Beijing; and
WHEREAS, The Taiwan government highly values its relations
with the United States and is gratified that the United States
and Taiwan will restart high-level talks under the bilateral
Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), an important
platform to resolve trade and commerce issues, on March 11-12,

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2013, in Taipei; it is anticipated that this meeting will help
forge closer relations between the 2 countries and create a
win-win environment for more Taiwanese trade and investment
with individual states, including Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Taiwan seeks greater regional integration in the
Asia-Pacific region and promotion of bilateral investment and
trade relations with the United States, welcomes the
opportunity presented by the United States' "pivot to Asia" and
announcement in 2011 (at the meeting of leaders at the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum) of the United States'
intent to not only join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP),
the proposed 21st century trade agreement between the U.S. and
8 other Asia-Pacific Rim countries, but to expand TPP
membership in the future to include other countries, such as
Taiwan; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we congratulate the Republic of China (Taiwan) on gaining
inclusion in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program in 2012, welcome the
U.S.-Taiwan trade talks, and express support for Taiwan's
efforts to secure entry to the Trails-Pacific Partnership
(TPP), to promote its bilateral investment and trade relations
with the United States and facilitate its economic and other
ties with Illinois and the individual states; and be it further

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RESOLVED, That to increase Taiwan's international space
and the degree to which Taiwan benefits from and contributes to
global efforts to enhance international airline safety and
security, we reaffirm our support for the meaningful
participation of Taiwan in the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) with observer status; and be it further
RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
presented to United States Secretary of State John F. Kerry,
ICAO Secretary Genera1 Raymond Benjamin, and the Taipei
Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago.