Florida Senate - 2016                            (NP)    SR 1760
       
       
        
       By Senator Bullard
       
       39-02577-16                                           20161760__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution expressing appreciation for the sister
    3         state relationship and bilateral economic and cultural
    4         ties between Florida and Taiwan and reaffirming the
    5         commitment of the State of Florida to the strong and
    6         deepening relationship with Taiwan, as the two embrace
    7         the fundamental values of freedom, democracy, and the
    8         protection of human rights.
    9  
   10         WHEREAS, the people of Taiwan, officially known as the
   11  Republic of China, elected their new president on January 16,
   12  2016, by popular vote, further enhancing the roots of democracy
   13  within the island, which strengthen the common values it shares
   14  with the United States, and
   15         WHEREAS, April 10, 2016, marks the 37th anniversary of the
   16  enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act, which maintains peace,
   17  security, and stability in the Western Pacific and promotes the
   18  foreign policy of the United States by authorizing the
   19  continuation of commercial, cultural, and other relations
   20  between the people of the United States and the people of
   21  Taiwan, and
   22         WHEREAS, Taiwan is one of the allies in the East Asian
   23  region which the United States continues to provide with
   24  defensive weaponry, including naval vessels, equipment, and
   25  munitions, creating job opportunities in this country and
   26  helping Taiwan maintain its defensive capabilities in the
   27  region, and
   28         WHEREAS, President Ma Yin-jeou’s East China Sea Initiative
   29  and South China Sea Peace Initiative and the Taiwanese code of
   30  conduct, each of which recognizes the conflicting territorial
   31  viewpoints of the interested parties, call upon all parties to
   32  resolve their regional disputes peacefully and share resources
   33  in accordance with international law, which is consistent with
   34  the security and economic interests of the United States in East
   35  and Southeast Asia, and
   36         WHEREAS, the United States supports Taiwan’s meaningful
   37  participation in and cooperation with more than 50 international
   38  organizations, including its bid for attendance in the
   39  International Criminal Police Organization, specifically,
   40  Taiwan’s recent active participation in the International Civil
   41  Aviation Organization Assembly and its membership in both the
   42  Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the World Trade
   43  Organization, and
   44         WHEREAS, support for Taiwan’s continued economic growth and
   45  prosperity is important to the interests of the United States,
   46  especially with regard to Taiwan’s bid to join the Trans-Pacific
   47  Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership,
   48  which will further expand Taiwan’s participation in the global
   49  market, increase equal competition with member states, and
   50  prevent economic marginalization, and
   51         WHEREAS, Taiwan was the United States’ 10th largest two-way
   52  trade partner in 2014, and
   53         WHEREAS, with respect to Taiwan’s contributions in the
   54  global market by both its traditional and innovative industries,
   55  support for continued bilateral talks under the Trade and
   56  Investment Framework Agreement and the establishment of a
   57  Bilateral Investment Agreement with the United States will
   58  further globalize Taiwan’s economy and eliminate trade barriers,
   59  thus solidifying Taiwan as a robust and trustworthy partner to
   60  the United States for trade and security in the East Asian
   61  region, NOW, THEREFORE,
   62  
   63  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   64  
   65         That the significance of the relationship and shared
   66  interests between the people of Taiwan and the United States is
   67  recognized, as is the importance of supporting future
   68  opportunities for international trade developments with Taiwan
   69  to further strengthen the substantive relationship between
   70  Florida and Taiwan.
   71         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Florida Senate welcomes the
   72  initiatives of the Taiwanese government to maintain peace in the
   73  East China Sea and the South China Sea and to promote trade with
   74  the United States and this state.
   75         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with
   76  the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to the Taipei
   77  Economic and Cultural Office in Miami and to the Executive
   78  Office of the Governor of this state as a tangible token of the
   79  sentiments of the Florida Senate.