SLS 15RS-423 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 9
BY SENATOR CROWE
SENATE. Commends the Republic of China, known as Taiwan, for positive economic
relations and friendship with the state of Louisiana.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To commend the Republic of China, known as Taiwan, for positive economic relations and
3 friendship with the state of Louisiana, to call for closer economic ties between
4 Taiwan and the state of Louisiana, to support the mutual recognition of driver's
5 licenses between Taiwan and the state of Louisiana, to support Taiwan's participation
6 in international organizations, to celebrate the anniversaries of the sister-state
7 relationship between Taiwan and Louisiana and the sister-city relationship between
8 the cities of Taichung and Baton Rouge, to welcome Director General Louis M.
9 Huang to Louisiana, and to commend the continued efforts of his office to advance
10 economic and cultural exchange between Taiwan and the state of Louisiana.
11 WHEREAS, the United States and Taiwan engage in robust bilateral trade and, in
12 2013, Taiwan accounted for more than one and one-half percent of overall U.S. exports; and
13 WHEREAS, Taiwan is the world's twenty-first largest economy, fourteenth most
14 competitive economy worldwide, twentieth largest export economy, eighteenth largest
15 import economy, fifth largest holder of foreign exchange reserves, twelfth largest U.S. goods
16 trading partner, twelfth largest U.S. import market, sixteenth largest U.S. export market, the
17 largest per capita importer of U.S. agricultural products, and one of Louisiana's most
18 important export markets with three hundred ninety-five million dollars worth of products
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SLS 15RS-423 ORIGINAL
1 imported by Taiwan in 2013; and
2 WHEREAS, in 2014, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal put the relationship between
3 Taiwan and Louisiana in the spotlight as he made his first visit to Taiwan to meet President
4 Ma Ying-Jeou; and
5 WHEREAS, on this visit, Jindal held meetings with executives from the Formosa
6 Plastics Group, the Taiwan Chinese Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and others in order to
7 promote successful trade and to encourage bilateral investment between Louisiana and
8 Taiwan; and
9 WHEREAS, with the approval of the United States Department of Energy granted
10 in February, 2014, Taiwan is beginning to implement a long-term plan to import shale gas
11 from Louisiana with the actual importation to begin in 2018 and this exchange is expected
12 to be a multi-billion dollar business opportunity for Louisiana companies; and
13 WHEREAS, a free trade agreement and a bilateral investment agreement between
14 Taiwan and the United States, both of whom are members of the World Trade Organization,
15 as well as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the inclusion of Taiwan in the Trans-
16 Pacific Partnership (TPP) would substantially reduce the majority of import quotas, duties,
17 and other trade barriers, expanding market opportunities for Louisiana and the entire United
18 States; and
19 WHEREAS, U.S. trade with free trade agreement partner countries has led to rapid
20 export growth in the trade with these partner nations; and
21 WHEREAS, according to a study of the Business Roundtable, since 2002, the goods
22 that Louisiana has exported to free trade agreement partner nations have increased by over
23 four hundred percent and, in 2012, forty-one percent or more than eighteen billion dollars
24 worth of goods that Louisiana exported went to these free trade partners; and
25 WHEREAS, the TPP represents an ambitious, comprehensive, and forward-looking
26 pathway for achieving an eventual Free Trade Area in the Asia-Pacific region and it is
27 estimated that Taiwan's inclusion in the TPP would lead to an overall gain of nearly seventy-
28 eight billion dollars in trade for the United States and other member nations; and
29 WHEREAS, while the United States and Taiwan do not have a free trade agreement, nor a
30 bilateral investment agreement, the two allies do have numerous bilateral agreements that
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1 deal with trade, including, but not limited to the following: the Taiwan Agreement on
2 Intellectual Property Protection (Trademark), agreements regarding copyrights and
3 individual property rights, generally, the Agreement on Export Performance Requirements,
4 an Agreement on Customs Valuation, the Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation Treaty,
5 Taiwan Agreement on Market Access; Taiwan Beer, Wine, and Cigarettes Agreement, the
6 Taiwan Government Procurement Understanding, and the Taiwan Telecommunications
7 Liberalization agreement; and
8 WHEREAS, in 2013 the U.S. trade deficit in goods was twelve billion dollars and,
9 in 2012, the private services trade surplus between the U.S. and Taiwan was nearly four
10 billion dollars, indications of an active and mutually beneficial level of trade; and
11 WHEREAS, streamlining the exchange of valid noncommercial driver's licenses for
12 a Louisiana applicant in Taiwan and an applicant from Taiwan living in Louisiana is part of
13 efforts to upgrade the business-friendly environment for entrepreneurs of both Taiwan and
14 Louisiana and will encourage mutual trade and investments; and
15 WHEREAS, given the important role that Taiwan plays in commercial aviation and
16 the global economy, it is vital that Taiwan participates as an observer in the International
17 Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the United Nations Framework Convention on
18 Climate Change (UNFCCC), among other multinational groups; and
19 WHEREAS, meaningful participation by Taiwan as an observer in the ICAO will
20 combine efforts to improve safety and procedures and to develop a global strategy to address
21 aviation security threats; and
22 WHEREAS, as an observer in the UNFCCC, Taiwan could contribute greatly to
23 global efforts aimed at reducing and preventing natural disasters and, as an island nation,
24 Taiwan would bring that unique perspective to discussions regarding issues of climate
25 change and rising sea levels; and
26 WHEREAS, the year 2015 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the sister-state
27 relationship between Taiwan and Louisiana and the thirty-fifth anniversary of the sister-city
28 relationship between the city of Taichung and the city of Baton Rouge; and
29 WHEREAS, Louis M. Huang, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural
30 Office in Houston, Texas, and his office have worked tirelessly and relentlessly to advance
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1 the economic and cultural ties and ongoing cooperation between Taiwan and Louisiana; and
2 WHEREAS, considering the breadth of the trade activities between Taiwan and
3 Louisiana and the length of time over which these activities have occurred, highlighting
4 especially the unique connections through both the sister-state and the sister-city programs,
5 it is clear that the relationships, both economic and cultural, forged between Taiwan and
6 Louisiana are an integral part of the economic and cultural life of these two quite disparate
7 societies.
8 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
9 does hereby commend the Republic of China, known as Taiwan, for its positive economic
10 relations and friendship with the state of Louisiana, call for closer economic ties between
11 Taiwan and the state of Louisiana, supports the mutual recognition of driver's licenses
12 between Taiwan and the state of Louisiana, supports Taiwan's participation in international
13 organizations, the anniversaries of the sister-state relationship between Taiwan and
14 Louisiana and the sister-city relationship between the city of Taichung and the city of Baton
15 Rouge, welcome Director General Louis M. Huang to Louisiana, and commend the
16 continued efforts of his office to advance economic and cultural exchange between Taiwan
17 and the state of Louisiana.
18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Louis
19 M. Huang, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston, Texas.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Mary Dozier O'Brien.
DIGEST
SR 9 Original 2015 Regular Session Crowe
Commends the Republic of China, known as Taiwan, for positive economic relations and
friendship with the state, calls for closer economic ties between Taiwan and the state of
Louisiana, supports the mutual recognition of driver's licenses between Taiwan and the state
of Louisiana, supports Taiwan's participation in international organizations, celebrates the
anniversaries of the sister-state relationship between Taiwan and Louisiana and the sister-
city relationship between the city of Taichung and Baton Rouge, welcomes Director General
Louis M. Huang to Louisiana, and commends the continued efforts of his office to advance
economic and cultural exchange between Taiwan and Louisiana.
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