| R 217 |
| 2021 -- S 0847 Enacted 04/27/2021 |
| S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N |
| REAFFIRMING THE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN RHODE ISLAND AND TAIWAN, AND SUPPORTING ENHANCED BILATERAL TRADE RELATIONS AND TAIWAN’S INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION |
| Introduced By: Senators Cano, Kallman, and DiMario |
| Date Introduced: April 27, 2021 |
| WHEREAS, The United States and the Republic of China (Taiwan) share a vibrant |
| bilateral relationship marked by a mutually beneficial partnership, supported by our common |
| values of freedom, democracy, rule of law, and a free market economy, and our countries now |
| enjoy the strongest relations ever; and |
| WHEREAS, President Tsai Ing-wen has worked tirelessly to safeguard democracy and |
| way of life in Taiwan, ensure the prosperity of Taiwan’s 24 million people, and has expressed |
| commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region; and |
| WHEREAS, The United States Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, and State, in a |
| formal letter sent to the Governors of all 50 states, dated September 30, 2019, stated that |
| “expanding relations with Taiwan in areas such as trade, education, investment, and tourism is |
| fully compatible with and supports U.S. policy and can be beneficial to your state or |
| municipality”; and |
| WHEREAS, President Tsai has expressed Taiwan’s desire to reach a Bilateral Trade |
| Agreement (BTA) with the United States and the United States Senate unanimously passed the |
| “Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative Act (TAIPEI) of 2019” |
| (S.1678) on October 28, 2019, affirming that the “United States should engage in bilateral trade |
| negotiations with Taiwan”; and |
| WHEREAS, The Taiwan Government has donated 135,000 surgical masks and 5,000 |
| N95 masks to the State of Rhode Island to assist in the fight against Covid-19, demonstrating that |
| Taiwan is a responsible stakeholder and should be included in the World Health Organization |
| (WHO) and the World Health Assembly (WHA); and |
| WHEREAS, The United States ranks as Taiwan’s 2nd largest trading partner, and Taiwan |
| is the 10th largest trading partner of the United States, with bilateral trade in goods and services |
| amounting to approximately $90 billion in 2020, which helped create or support approximately |
| 373,288 United States jobs; and |
| WHEREAS, New England exported more than $1 billion in goods to Taiwan in which |
| Rhode Island exported $24 million in goods, making Taiwan the 17th largest export market of |
| Rhode Island in the world and the 6th largest export market in Asia (2018); and |
| WHEREAS, Being a key transport hub in the Asia-Pacific region, Taiwan’s inclusion in |
| international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), International Criminal |
| Police Organization (INTERPOL), and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), is |
| imperative for the best interest and safety of the international community. In addition, Taiwan’s |
| participation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is |
| necessary in the global effort to combat climate change; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby supports a stronger |
| United States-Taiwan relationship under the Biden Administration, including the signing of a |
| Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), and seeks to further strengthen the Rhode Island-Taiwan |
| partnership, and encourages the Rhode Island State government to further explore ways to |
| strengthen and promote bilateral exchange between Rhode Island and Taiwan in all areas, |
| including signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Taiwan regarding bilateral |
| economic and trade exchange and cooperation; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby supports Taiwan’s participation in international |
| organizations and agreements, including the WHO, WHA, INTERPOL, UNFCCC and ICAO; |
| and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
| transmit duly certified copies of this resolution the Honorable Joseph Biden, President of the |
| United States, the Rhode Island Delegation to the United States Congress, the Honorable Daniel |
| McKee, Governor, State of Rhode Island, President Tsai Ing-wen, Republic of China (Taiwan), |
| and Director-General Jonathan Sun, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston. |
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| LC002762 |
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