ENROLLED
2023 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 15
BY REPRESENTATIVES WRIGHT, ADAMS, AMEDEE, BACALA, BROWN,
CARRIER, CORMIER, COX, EDMONDS, EMERSON, GAROF ALO, HARRIS,
MIKE JOHNSON, GREGORY MILLER, CHARLES OWEN, RISER, AND
SCHEXNAYDER AND SENATORS MORRI S AND PEACOCK
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To express recognition and encouragement of the economic ties and friendship between the
state of Louisiana and the Republic of China (Taiwan).
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 with
bilateral trade reaching $114 billion, and it was the sixth largest export market for U.S.
agricultural products in 2021; and
WHEREAS, the robust U.S.-Taiwan trade and investment partnership provides a
solid foundation for a mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement 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, it has emerged as an
important partner in pandemic prevention, bolstering unprecedented international support
for Taiwan's bid to participate in the World Health Assembly; and
WHEREAS, Taiwanese officials and civil society groups partner with the U.S. on
a range of issues to promote common values of freedom, democracy, and human rights,
building on the cooperative tradition of joint partnerships such as the Global Cooperation
and Training Framework, which advances Taiwanese leadership in such arenas as
democratization, human rights, women's empowerment, and public health; and
WHEREAS, since 1985, Louisiana and Taiwan have maintained a sister-state
relationship and continue to enjoy particularly close economic ties; Taiwan is Louisiana's
seventh largest export partner in Asia, and the state exported more than $77.3 million in
goods and services to Taiwan in 2021; and
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WHEREAS, sister-city connections have been established between cities in
Louisiana and Taiwan to encourage cross-cultural connections and exchanges; Baton Rouge
and Taichung became sister cities in 1980, and New Orleans and Tainan signed a sister-city
agreement in 2022; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana and the United States have benefitted 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.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
express recognition and encouragement of the economic ties and friendship between the state
of Louisiana and the Republic of China (Taiwan); does hereby express support for the
strengthening of the state's partnership with Taiwan and for the expansion of Taiwan's role
on the global stage; does hereby support a bilateral trade agreement between the United
States and Taiwan; does hereby support Taiwan's participation in the Indo-Pacific Economic
Framework for Prosperity; does hereby support Taiwan's meaningful participation in the
World Health Assembly and other international organizations such as the International Civil
Aviation Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change;
and does hereby celebrate the forty-fourth anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan
Relations Act, the thirty-eighth anniversary of the sister-state relationship between the state
of Louisiana and Taiwan, and the ongoing sister-city partnerships between the cities of
Baton Rouge and Taichung and the cities of New Orleans and Tainan.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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