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A RESOLUTION commending Taiwan for its relations with the United States and 1
the Commonwealth of Kentucky. 2
WHEREAS, Taiwan is the United States' eighth-largest trading partner, and the 3
United States is Taiwan's second-largest trading partner, with a bilateral trade amount of 4
$105 billion in 2021; and 5
WHEREAS, Kentucky's exports to Taiwan increased 62.6 percent between 2020 6
and 2021, and Kentucky's imports from Taiwan increased 49.2 percent between 2020 and 7
2021, making Taiwan Kentucky's eighteenth highest export country and thirteenth 8
highest import country; and 9
WHEREAS, the Taiwan Agricultural Trade Goodwill Mission visited Kentucky in 10
September 2022, vowing to purchase nearly $3 billion of high-quality soybeans and corn 11
in 2023 and 2024, further strengthening Taiwan's economic ties with Kentucky; and 12
WHEREAS, the government of Taiwan and its community assisted Kentucky 13
residents by donating $120,000 and 100,000 medical masks to the recovery work after 14
the deadly tornadoes; and 15
WHEREAS, Kentucky became a bellwether of education after the launch of the 16
"U.S.–Taiwan Education Initiative" in 2020, by signing the higher education and K-12 17
cooperation memoranda of understanding with Taiwan in 2021, facilitating more 18
Mandarin and English language exchanges between students and teachers; and 19
WHEREAS, Kentucky welcomes all opportunities for an even closer partnership on 20
business, educational, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges between citizens of the 21
United States and Taiwan, and hopes to collaborate better together in the worldwide post-22
pandemic economic recovery efforts; and 23
WHEREAS, Taiwan has been experiencing continuous threats from their 24
authoritarian neighbor, China, which has encroached on Taiwan's security by launching 25
multiple missiles and dispatching numerous aircraft and vessels into Taiwan's air defense 26
identification zone and across the Taiwan Strait median line. China has also disseminated 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 23 RS BR 1279
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disinformation, launched cyber-attacks, and repeatedly excluded Taiwan from 1
international system as demonstrated through its denial of Taiwan's participation in the 2
United Nations system meetings, mechanisms, conventions and activities; and 3
WHEREAS, in 2022, the United States and Taiwan saw a strengthening in bilateral 4
relations with the launch of the "U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade," which 5
facilitates a roadmap for negotiations on economic and trade agreements with high-6
standard commitments; visits from numerous high-ranking elected officials amidst 7
China's provocation; the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023," 8
which facilitates a defense modernization program for Taiwan to deter China's 9
aggression; and the signing of the "Taiwan-U.S. Memorandum of Understanding on 10
Development and Humanitarian Assistance Cooperation," which highlights that Taiwan 11
is a significant stakeholder globally; and 12
WHEREAS, as a formal member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 13
(APEC) since 1991, Taiwan keeps making great contributions and is an indispensable 14
key partner to the welfare of the people in the Asia-Pacific region; 15
NOW, THEREFORE, 16
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 17
Kentucky: 18
Section 1. The Senate encourages the members of this body to join the Taiwan 19
Caucus in urging the Commonwealth of Kentucky to establish a trade office in Taiwan, 20
as South Carolina, New Mexico, Montana, and Pennsylvania have recently done. The 21
establishment of a trade office in Taiwan will attract more investments in Taiwan and the 22
Commonwealth and enable the Commonwealth's officials and General Assembly 23
members to conduct more frequent exchanges with their Taiwanese counterparts. 24
Section 2. The Senate supports the "US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century 25
Trade" and the negotiations on the Bilateral Trade Agreement as Taiwanese companies 26
are looking for diverse and free markets in the United States instead of China, and further 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 23 RS BR 1279
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supports Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations and 1
mechanisms such as the World Health Organization, United Nations Framework 2
Convention on Climate Change, International Civil Aviation Organization, International 3
Criminal Police Organization, and Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity. 4
Section 3. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this 5
Resolution to Governor Andy Beshear, Secretary of State Michael G. Adams, the 6
Kentucky Congressional Delegation, and Mr. Elliot Wang, Director-General of the Taipei 7
Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta, Georgia. 8