South Carolina General Assembly
124th Session, 2021-2022

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Bill 700


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A SENATE RESOLUTION

TO COMMEND THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) FOR ITS RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES AND THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.

Whereas, Taiwan and the United States are longstanding allies that both deeply cherish the common values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law; and

Whereas, Taiwan is a beacon of democracy and freedom in the Asia-Pacific, despite continuous threats from its authoritarian neighbor China, which has encroached on Taiwan's security by flying in its air defense identification zone and across the Taiwan Strait's median line and which has also degraded the freedom of Hong Kong through the 2020 Hong Kong National Security Law. Therefore, Taiwan's democracy needs support from like-minded allies like the South Carolina Senate; and

Whereas, over the years, the relationship between Taiwan and the United States has grown and flourished. The United States Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act in 1979, the Taiwan Travel Act in 2018, and the TAIPEI Act in 2019. In 2020, the United States and Taiwan enjoyed a high point in bilateral relations, including the highest-ranking official visits in forty years and the establishment of the US-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue and the US-Taiwan Educational Initiative; and

Whereas, an international ally, Taiwan has contributed extensive resources to the international community during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the global donation of tens of millions of surgical and N95 masks, hundreds of thousands of isolation gowns, and tens of thousands of forehead thermometers. Of these, 110,000 surgical and 20,000 N95 masks were sent to the State of South Carolina; and

Whereas, Taiwan is the United States' ninth-largest trading partner, and the United States is Taiwan's second-largest trading partner. Taiwan supports an estimated 330,000 jobs in the United States, and Taiwan is South Carolina's tenth export market and fifteenth largest import country, supporting 934 million investments and an estimated 6,071 jobs in the State of South Carolina; and

Whereas, paving the way for deeper economic cooperation, Taiwan will significantly ease import restrictions beginning in January 2021 on the United States' pork and beef products, significantly growing the State of South Carolina and the United States' agricultural exports to Taiwan; and

Whereas, South Carolina welcomes all opportunities for an even closer economic partnership, such as the signing of a US-Taiwan Bilateral Trade Agreement, to enhance the special sister-state relationship; to encourage further business, educational, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges; and to recover better together in the worldwide post-pandemic economic recovery efforts; and

Whereas, the South Carolina Senate supports Taiwan's democracy, freedom, and meaningful participation in international cooperation through international organizations, such as the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, INTERPOL, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate:

That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, commend the Republic of China (Taiwan) for its relations with the United States and the State of South Carolina.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to Governor Henry McMaster; Secretary of State Mark Hammond; and Director-General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Atlanta, Elliot Yi-lung Wang.

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