Bill Text: TX HR23 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Expressing support for the strengthening of our partnership with Taiwan and for the expansion of Taiwan's role on the global stage.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-04-03 - Reported enrolled [HR23 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HR23-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 23 |
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WHEREAS, The longstanding bonds of friendship between the | ||
United States and Taiwan, embodied in the Taiwan Relations Act of | ||
1979, continue to yield important economic, strategic, and cultural | ||
benefits; and | ||
WHEREAS, Taiwan ranks as our nation's 11th largest trading | ||
partner, and in 2017, bilateral trade in goods and services reached | ||
$68.2 billion; a particularly important market for farmers, Taiwan | ||
imports more U.S. agricultural products on a per capita basis than | ||
any other nation, and its biennial agricultural procurement | ||
missions result in multibillion-dollar supply deals; and | ||
WHEREAS, Since 1988, Texas and Taiwan have maintained a | ||
sister-state relationship, and they enjoy particularly close | ||
economic ties, enhanced in recent years by the tireless efforts of | ||
Peter Chen as the director general of the Taipei Economic and | ||
Cultural Office in Houston; Taiwan is one of our top 10 foreign | ||
markets, and in 2017, it imported nearly $4.7 billion in | ||
commodities from Texas, including computers and electronics, | ||
industrial machinery equipment, chemicals, and foodstuffs; in | ||
turn, Texas imported over $2.8 billion in Taiwanese goods, | ||
primarily computers, electronics, metal products, transportation | ||
equipment, and industrial machinery; and | ||
WHEREAS, Taiwanese firms have invested more than $10 billion | ||
in a wide range of Texas businesses, from petrochemicals and | ||
automotive parts to electronics, banking, and hospitality; the | ||
current president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, has traveled to Houston | ||
twice since her election in 2016, and during her most recent visit, | ||
in August 2018, Taiwan's CPC Corporation signed a $25 billion, | ||
25-year purchase agreement for liquefied natural gas with | ||
Houston-headquartered Cheniere and Formosa Plastics confirmed in | ||
detail its $12.7 billion accumulated investment at Point Comfort; | ||
and | ||
WHEREAS, In June 2015, Taiwan's EVA Air launched a direct | ||
Taipei-Houston route; travel between Taiwan and the United States | ||
has increased by more than 50 percent since 2012, when Taiwan | ||
commenced participation in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program; it joined | ||
the U.S. Global Entry program five years later, further enhancing | ||
commercial, investment, and tourism opportunities; moreover, in | ||
2018, President Trump signed the Taiwan Travel Act, which | ||
encourages government officials to meet with their counterparts in | ||
each other's countries; and | ||
WHEREAS, Taiwan is committed to helping address global | ||
challenges, from humanitarian crises to nontraditional security | ||
threats; it has coordinated with the United States to combat Ebola | ||
and other infectious diseases, and it has provided disaster relief | ||
in many locations around the world; moreover, it has taken a | ||
prominent role in environmental protection, and the U.S.-Taiwan | ||
International Environmental Partnership was launched in 2014 to | ||
collaborate in the training of experts in the field from Asia, | ||
Africa, and Latin America; Taiwanese officials and civil society | ||
groups partner with the United States on a range of issues through | ||
the American Institute in Taiwan, and the AIT joined with the | ||
U.S.-based Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office to | ||
establish the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, which | ||
advances Taiwanese leadership in such arenas as democratization, | ||
human rights, women's empowerment, and public health; and | ||
WHEREAS, Texas and the United States have benefited | ||
immeasurably through decades of unwavering friendship with Taiwan, | ||
and the wider world is sure to reap tremendous rewards as Taiwan | ||
works to enhance its presence in the international community; now, | ||
therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas | ||
Legislature hereby express its support for the strengthening of our | ||
partnership with Taiwan and for the expansion of Taiwan's role on | ||
the global stage; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives hereby: | ||
(a) express support for a bilateral trade agreement between | ||
the United States and Taiwan; | ||
(b) express support for Taiwan's meaningful participation | ||
in the International Criminal Police Organization, the | ||
International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations | ||
Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the World Health | ||
Assembly; | ||
(c) commend the inclusion of Taiwan in the U.S. Global Entry | ||
and Visa Waiver Program; | ||
(d) honor Peter Chen for his outstanding endeavors as | ||
director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in | ||
Houston; and | ||
(e) celebrate the 40th anniversary of the enactment of the | ||
Taiwan Relations Act and the 31st anniversary of the sister-state | ||
relationship between the State of Texas and Taiwan; and, be it | ||
further | ||
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
prepared for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston as | ||
an expression of the sentiment of the Texas House of | ||
Representatives. | ||
Miller | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 23 was adopted by the House on April | ||
1, 2019, by a non-record vote. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||