88R13613 TBO-F
 
  By: Kolkhorst S.C.R. No. 34
 
 
 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         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, social, strategic, and
  cultural benefits; and
         WHEREAS, Taiwan ranks as the United States' ninth largest
  trading partner, and bilateral trade reached $114 billion in 2021;
  that same year, Taiwan was the sixth largest export market for U.S.
  agricultural products; the robust U.S.-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;
  and
         WHEREAS, Taiwan is committed to helping address global
  challenges, from humanitarian crises to nontraditional security
  threats; moreover, the country has emerged as an important partner
  in pandemic prevention, 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; these
  partnerships build on the cooperative tradition of prior
  initiatives, 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, Since 1988, Texas and Taiwan have maintained a
  sister-state relationship, and they enjoy particularly close
  economic ties; Taiwan is Texas' 10th largest overseas market, and
  Texas exported over $7.69 billion in goods and services to Taiwan in
  2020; the establishment of a Texas 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 Texas and Taiwan; 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 88th Legislature of the State of Texas
  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 and Senate
  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 Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, the World
  Health Assembly, the International Civil Aviation Organization,
  the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and
  other organizations;
         (c)  express support for a Texas Trade and Investment Office
  in Taiwan; and
         (d)  celebrate the 44th anniversary of the enactment of the
  Taiwan Relations Act and the 35th anniversary of the sister-state
  relationship between the State of Texas and Taiwan; and, be it
  further
         RESOLVED, That official copies 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
  and Senate.