HOUSE RESOLUTION 11

(By Delegates Howell, Anderson, Brooks, Cannon, Capito, Clark, Coop-Gonzalez, Crouse, DeVault, Ellington, Fast, Ferrell, Fluharty, Garcia, Griffith, A. Hall, W. Hall, Hanna, Hansen, Heckert, Hillenbrand, Hite, Honaker, Hornbuckle, Hornby, Horst, Hott, Jennings, Keaton, Kirby, Kump, Linville, Lucas, Mallow, Marple, Martin, Maynor, Mazzocchi, Miller, E. Pritt, Pushkin, Riley, Rowe, Sheedy, Skaff, Statler, Storch, Summers, Thorne, Toney, Tully, Walker, Ward, Warner, Westfall, Williams, Willis, Young, Zatezalo, Hanshaw (Mr. Speaker) and Espinosa)

February 2, 2023

Referred to the Committee on Rules

Reaffirming the longstanding sisterhood partnership between West Virginia and Taiwan

Whereas, the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the United States have enjoyed an enduring partnership and share the common values of freedom, democracy and human rights; in 2022, Taiwan was ranked as one of the freest countries in Asia by Freedom House and was ranked 6th among 177 world economies in terms of economic freedom by the Heritage Foundation, showcasing Taiwan as a beacon of democracy in East Asia; and

Whereas, West Virginia is proud of the sisterhood partnership it has enjoyed with Taiwan since August 4, 1980; in 2023, West Virginia celebrates the 43rd anniversary of the sisterhood partnership with Taiwan and looks forward to an even closer relationship; and

Whereas, the United States and Taiwan have forged ever stronger economic relations over the last four decades, with Taiwan now the 10th largest trading partner of the United States, West Virginia supports Taiwan’s efforts to secure the signing of a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) and an Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement (ADTA) with the United States to boost greater West Virginia exports to Taiwan and bring more Taiwanese investment to West Virginia; and

Whereas, in 2021, the trade volume between West Virginia and Taiwan amounted to nearly $120 million ($90 million in 2020) and Taiwan is our 3rd largest source of import and 8th largest export market in Asia, demonstrating that Taiwan is a remarkable trading partner of West Virginia; in 2022, the West Virginia Taiwan Office had been reopened. West Virginia welcomes more Taiwanese companies investing in the Mountain State, such as the Far Eastern New Century Corporation in Mason County; and

Whereas, in December 2021, West Virginia University and Taiwan’s National Sun Yat-sen University signed an agreement to promote bilateral language exchange programs, making WVU the first prestigious research institution to cooperate with Taiwan in the state; and

Whereas, Taiwan has been proven to be a very valuable contributor in a broad range of global issues, and it is necessary for Taiwan to be granted access to meaningfully participate in various international organizations such as the WHO, ICAO, UNFCCC, and INTERPOL; therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Delegates:

That the House of Delegates reaffirms its commitment to strengthen the sisterhood partnership with Taiwan; supports Taiwan’s efforts to secure the signing of a BTA and an ADTA with the United States; commends Taiwan’s vibrant full-fledged democracy; and continues to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation and contributions in international organizations; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to Governor James C. Justice, II of West Virginia and another sent to Ambassador Bi-khim Hsiao of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States.