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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Texas and Taiwan are celebrating the 21st |
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anniversary of their Sister State relationship in June 2009; and |
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WHEREAS, In the United States, the idea for a sister city |
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program that would foster international friendship was given |
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significant impetus by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as part of |
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his People to People initiative; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas and Taiwan became Sister States on June 13, |
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1988, and today 11 jurisdictions within Texas enjoy similar ties |
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with their Taiwanese counterparts; these pairs are Houston and |
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Taipei Municipality, San Antonio and Kaohsiung Municipality, |
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Austin and the City of Taichung, Corpus Christi and the City of |
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Keelung, DeSoto and the City of Taoyuan, Laredo and Tainan County, |
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Addison and the City of Panchiao, Marshall and Taipei Municipality, |
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Plano and the City of Hsinchu, Garland and Luchu Township, and |
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Harris County and Taipei County; and |
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WHEREAS, The links connecting Texas and Taiwan are evident in |
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many spheres of activity; economic relations between the two are |
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especially important: in 2007, Taiwan imported $5.1 billion worth |
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of Texas goods and ranked as this state's sixth-most-important |
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export market; at the same time, Taiwanese firms have invested |
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billions of dollars in Texas businesses; and |
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WHEREAS, A number of Taiwanese students study in Texas, and |
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many Taiwanese families have settled here; Taiwanese cultural, |
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religious, and economic organizations are flourishing in the Lone |
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Star State, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston, |
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under the outstanding direction of Steve Chen, plays a vital role in |
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increasing awareness of bilateral business opportunities, in |
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addition to its excellent work in promoting artistic and |
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educational exchanges; and |
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WHEREAS, The people of Texas and Taiwan have much to gain from |
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one another, and connections made possible through the Sister State |
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and Sister City affiliations contribute immeasurably toward our |
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mutual enrichment; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 21st anniversary of the signing |
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of the Sister State agreement between Texas and Taiwan and extend |
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sincere best wishes to all those who are engaged in strengthening |
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Texas-Taiwan Sister relations; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston as |
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an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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Button |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1593 was adopted by the House on May |
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4, 2009, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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