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General Assembly House Joint Resolution
No. 50
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 3642
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
AND ELECTIONS
Introduced by:
(GAE)
RESOLUTION COMMEMORA TING THE TWENTY-SECOND
ANNIVERSARY OF THE CONNECTICUT-TAIWAN SISTER-STATE
RELATIONSHIP.
Resolved by this Assembly:
WHEREAS, the state of Connecticut and the Republic of China 1
(Taiwan) have enjoyed a long history of friendship and have maintained 2
a fruitful sister-state relationship encompassing cultural, educational 3
and economic exchanges since 1999; and 4
WHEREAS, the state of Connecticut exported 194 million dollars' 5
worth of products to Taiwan in 2019, making Taiwan one of the major 6
foreign markets for Connecticut, and strengthening a robust bilateral 7
trade relationship as well as fostering a continued collaboration between 8
their respective industries; and 9
WHEREAS, as a full-fledged democracy and robust free-market 10
economy, Taiwan shares with the United States the principles and 11
values that provide a strong foundation for mutually beneficial 12
relations; and 13
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WHEREAS, the United States Congress passed the landmark Taiwan 14
Relations Act (TRA) in 1979 to sustain a close bilateral relationship as 15
well as to advance mutual security and commercial interests between 16
the United States and Taiwan, and the TRA has served as the 17
cornerstone of United States-Taiwan relations and has helped to 18
preserve peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait; and 19
WHEREAS, on August 10, 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the 20
United States and Taiwan signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 21
health cooperation to strengthen cooperation on global health security, 22
control of infectious diseases, and the development of drugs and 23
vaccines, intended to battle COVID-19 and to prevent future 24
international health crises through further collaborations; and 25
WHEREAS, the Memorandums of Understanding recently signed by 26
the United States and Taiwan on scientific and technological 27
cooperation and international education cooperation support broader 28
exchanges between Taiwan and the state of Connecticut on innovation 29
and cooperation on critical supply chains and education; and 30
WHEREAS, Taiwan has signed mutual driver's license recognition 31
agreements with 34 states of the United States since 2013, and more than 32
16,000 Taiwanese and American citizens have taken advantage of the 33
aforementioned agreements, and were Taiwan and the state of 34
Connecticut to enter into a driver's license reciprocity agreement with 35
each other, such an agreement would help increase the mobility of 36
international students, businessmen, and academics from both sides; 37
and 38
WHEREAS, Taiwan's inclusion in the United States Visa Waiver 39
Program and Global Entry, and the reciprocal travel facilitation enjoyed 40
by United States citizens when visiting Taiwan, allows Taiwan and the 41
United States, including the sister-state of Connecticut, to develop closer 42
relations and to witness rapid growth in all areas of bilateral 43
development; and 44
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WHEREAS, the United States has assisted Taiwan in participating in 45
the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Civil Aviation 46
Organization (ICAO) and the International Criminal Police 47
Organization (INTERPOL) and will continue supporting Taiwan's 48
participation in other international organizations; and 49
WHEREAS, the United States and Taiwan share a long-term and 50
close economic relationship, including 82.5 billion dollars in bilateral 51
trade in 2020, making Taiwan the ninth largest trading partner of the 52
United States; and 53
WHEREAS, in order to strengthen the bilateral trade relations with 54
the United States, the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has 55
expressed its wish to sign a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) and an 56
Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement (ADTA) with the United 57
States. 58
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Connecticut General 59
Assembly pause in its deliberations to recognize the twenty-second 60
anniversary of the Connecticut-Taiwan Sister-State Relationship, and 61
reiterate its support of a closer economic and trade partnership between 62
the United States and the Republic of China (Taiwan); and 63
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the clerks of the Senate and House 64
of Representatives cause a copy of this resolution to be sent to President 65
Tsai Ing-wen of the Republic of China (Taiwan) through the Taipei 66
Economic and Cultural Office in New York. 67
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
not underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: REP. HADDAD, 54th Dist.; REP. RYAN, 139th Dist.
H.J. 50