MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2022 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Chassaniol, Fillingane, Frazier, Younger, Johnson, Hill, Barnett, Blount, Branning, Butler (38th), Caughman, DeBar, England, Hopson, Jackson (11th), McCaughn, McDaniel, McLendon, Norwood, Parker, Polk, Simmons (12th), Suber, Thomas
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING FURTHER ECONOMIC TIES AND FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI AND THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN).
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 8th largest trading partner. In 2020, bilateral trade in goods and services reached $106 Billion. The 7th largest export market for U.S. agricultural products, a particularly important market for farmers, Taiwan's biennial agricultural trade goodwill missions result in multibillion-dollar supply deals, and its annually dispatched delegations to the SelectUSA Investment Summit boost investment. Taiwan's recent action to lift restrictions on U.S. beef and pork beginning January 2021 will help enhance bilateral trade; and
WHEREAS, the robust US-Taiwan trade and investment partnership provides a solid foundation for a mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) to spur job creation, further expand the global market, and secure international supply chains. Taiwan is well positioned to play an important role augmenting the revitalization of the global supply chain as part of the post-pandemic economic recovery; and
WHEREAS, Taiwan is committed to helping address global challenges, from humanitarian crises to nontraditional security threats. This year Taiwan has emerged as an important partner in pandemic prevention, providing more than 55 million surgical masks and other PPE to more than 80 countries around the world. The Taiwan Model has achieved world renowned for its effective pandemic prevention and containment, bolstering unprecedented international support for Taiwan's bid to participate in the World Health Assembly (WHA); and
WHEREAS, Taiwanese officials and civil society groups partner with the United States on a range of issues to promote our common values of freedom, democracy and human rights. Taiwan joined with the United States to establish the Partnership against Coronavirus, building on the cooperative tradition of prior joint partnerships such as the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF), which advances Taiwanese leadership in such arenas as democratization, human rights, women's empowerment and public health; and
WHEREAS, this year marks the 39th Anniversary of the sister-state relationship between Mississippi and Taiwan, a bond nurtured through mutually beneficial exchanges. In 2020, Taiwan imported $43 Million in commodities from Mississippi; and,
WHEREAS, the establishment of a Mississippi Trade and Investment Office in Taiwan could enhance the participation of small- and medium-sized enterprises in trade and investment, and advance sister-state ties between Mississippi and Taiwan; and
WHEREAS, Mississippi 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 BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby:
(a) Express support for a bilateral trade agreement between the United States and Taiwan and for Taiwan's participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP);
(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) Express support for Mississippi to establish a partnership with Taiwan through the National Guard State Partnership Program (SPP) to build on our decades of mutually beneficial relations;
(d) Express support for a Mississippi Trade and Investment Office in Taiwan; and
(e) Celebrate the 43rd Anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act and the 39th Anniversary of the sister-state relationship between the State of Mississippi and Taiwan.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be transmitted to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston, Texas, as an expression of the sentiment of the Mississippi Legislature.