On April 25, 2023, the Arizona Senate passed concurrent resolution SCR 1021 “supporting Taiwan’s international participation and a closer partnership between the United States and Taiwan in trade and exchanges of officials.” The text of the resolution, “encourages the continued bilateral cooperation and exchanges between [Taiwan and the United States] in the future.”
The US-Taiwan Bilateral Trade Agreement Coalition welcomes this resolution and Arizona’s support for a Bilateral Trade Agreement with Taiwan.
A Concurrent Resolution:
Supporting Taiwan’s international participation and a closer partnership between the United States and Taiwan in trade and exchanges of officials.
Whereas, the trade in goods between the United States and the Republic of China (Taiwan) totaled an estimated $114 billion in 2021, with $36.9 billion in exports and $77.1 billion in imports, ranking Taiwan as the eighth largest trading partner of the United States. Overall, Taiwan supports an estimate of more than 375,288 jobs in the United States; and
Whereas, on December 19, 2019, 161 Members of Congress signed a letter to the then United States Trade Representative, while 50 United States Senators signed a separate letter to him on October 1, 2020, both encouraging the United States government to work toward initiating negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement with Taiwan; and
Whereas, on June 1, 2022, the Minister without Portfolio of the Republic of China and United States Deputy Trade Representative announced the launch of the U.S.—Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, which will facilitate the development of a roadmap for negotiations on economic and trade agreements with high-standard commitments; and
Whereas, Taiwan was Arizona’s eighth largest export market in 2021, reaching $621 million in total United States exports to Taiwan originating from Arizona. In total, more than 7,895 jobs in Arizona are supported by Taiwanese-affiliated companies and the exports of goods and services to Taiwan; and
Whereas, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has begun construction of its $12 billion 5-nanometer fab in Phoenix, with chip production slated to start by 2024. This new factory will create 1,900 full-time jobs in Arizona over a five-year period; and
Whereas, Taiwan’s Bureau of Foreign Trade, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Arizona Commerce Authority signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Trade and Economic Cooperation on October 5, 2021, aiming to foster further economic engagement and to establish or expand operations and supply chains cooperation between Taiwan and Arizona; and
Whereas, on July 12, 2013, the President of the United States signed into law H.R. 1151, an act supporting Taiwan’s participation as an observer in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); and
Whereas, on March 18, 2016, the President of the United States signed into law S. 2426, an act directing the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to obtain observer status for Taiwan in the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL); and
Whereas, on March 26, 2020, the President of the United States signed into law S. 1678, an act stating that it should be the policy of the United States to advocate, as appropriate, for Taiwan’s membership in all international organizations in which statehood is not a requirement and in which the United States is also a participant, and for Taiwan to be granted observer status in other appropriate international organizations; and
Whereas, the United States Secretary of State issued a statement on October 26, 2021, encouraging all United Nations (UN) Member States to join us in supporting Taiwan’s robust, meaningful participation throughout the UN system and in the international community; and
Whereas, the Arizona Legislature passed resolutions in support of Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, including INTERPOL and UN specialized agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the ICAO and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022; and
Whereas, the Taiwan Travel Act, signed into law by the President of the United States on March 16, 2018, allows officials at all levels of the federal government to travel to Taiwan to meet their Taiwanese counterparts and allows high-level Taiwanese officials to enter the United States under conditions that demonstrate appropriate respect to such officials.
Therefore
Source: Arizona Senate SCR 1023
Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring:
1. That the Members of the Legislature support the negotiation of a United States—Taiwan bilateral trade agreement and Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, including ICAO, INTERPOL, WHO and UNFCCC.
2. That the Members of the Legislature acknowledge the achievements made by Arizona and Taiwan in the fields of economy, trade, technology, education and culture since establishing their sister-state relations on July 28, 1980, and encourage the continued bilateral cooperation and exchanges between the two sides in the future.
3. That the Members of the Legislature support a future official visit to Taiwan by the Governor of Arizona at her discretion.