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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Taiwan and the United States enjoy a friendly and |
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mutually beneficial relationship, and solid commercial, |
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educational, and cultural ties can be further strengthened by the |
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inclusion of Taiwan in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program; and |
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WHEREAS, A full-fledged, stable democracy, Taiwan shares |
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with the United States a commitment to democracy, human rights, the |
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rule of law, and a market-based economy; moreover, Taiwan is our |
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ninth-largest trading partner and a key export market in almost |
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every major sector; trade in commercial goods between Taiwan and |
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the United States totaled nearly $62 billion in 2010; and |
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WHEREAS, The two nations have long maintained close and |
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productive cooperation in science and technology, and since 1979, |
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they have signed more than 190 science and technology agreements |
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under the framework of the Taipei Economic and Cultural |
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Representative Office and the American Institute in Taiwan; Taiwan |
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has worked very closely with the United States in the field of |
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education, and in 2010, more than 26,000 Taiwanese studied in our |
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colleges and universities; and |
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WHEREAS, These important relationships generate significant |
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interpersonal contact and travel, and in 2009, people from Taiwan |
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paid more than 500,000 visits to the United States; if admitted to |
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the Visa Waiver Program, holders of Taiwan passports could travel |
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to the United States without the expense and time-consuming process |
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of obtaining a visa, which is expected to boost the number of visits |
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for both sightseeing and business purposes; Taiwanese travel to the |
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United Kingdom and New Zealand spiked by 35 to 40 percent after |
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those countries waived visa obligations, and it is estimated that |
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waiving visa requirements for Taiwanese travels in the United |
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States could increase tourism revenue by as much as $1.8 billion; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In order to gain entry into the Visa Waiver Program, |
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a country must have a visa refusal rate below 3 percent, and only |
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2.2 percent of Taiwanese visa applications were rejected by the |
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United States in fiscal year 2010; about 100 countries, including |
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Japan and members of the European Union, offer Taiwan visa |
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exemptions on the basis of reciprocity and out of confidence that |
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citizens of Taiwan are law-abiding and unlikely to overstay; and |
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WHEREAS, Taiwan has already exempted U.S. passport holders |
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from visa requirements for visits up to 30 days; by extending |
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similar privileges, the United States can facilitate |
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people-to-people contacts, enhance cultural links, and expand |
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business opportunities and tourism; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby endorse the inclusion of Taiwan in the United |
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States Visa Waiver Program; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the chief clerk forward official copies of |
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this resolution to the president of the United States, to the |
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president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |