HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1001

         A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION,  Supporting a Taiwan-United States free trade agreement.

     WHEREAS,  Taiwan and the United States enjoy one of the most important economic and strategic international relationships; and

     WHEREAS,  together, Taiwan and the United States promote a shared faith and respect for freedom, democracy, and free market principles; and

     WHEREAS,  Taiwan and the United States have worked hand-in-hand to preserve peace and stability within the Asia-Pacific region and to help improve the lives of their citizens and people around the world; and

     WHEREAS,  trade between Taiwan and the United States has increased significantly during the past decades, with the United States being Taiwan's second largest source of imports and Taiwan being the eighth largest trading partner of the United States; and

     WHEREAS,  Taiwan is a major trading partner with the United States and also an important overseas market for United States agricultural products, and given the remarkable economic performance of Taiwan and the strong purchasing power of its twenty-three million people, there are many opportunities to further expand bilateral trade between the United States and Taiwan; and

     WHEREAS,  streamlined foreign investment procedures developed under a Taiwan-United States free trade agreement would lead to further investment by firms in both Taiwan and the United States and would create new business opportunities and new jobs; and

     WHEREAS,  a Taiwan-United States free trade agreement would encourage greater innovations and manufacturing efficiencies by stimulating joint technological development, practical applications, and new cooperative ventures; and

     WHEREAS,  a recent study by the United States International Trade Commission supports the negotiation of a Taiwan-United States free trade agreement to further boost trade between the two countries and serve the broader interests of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region:

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED,  by the House of Representatives of the Eighty-second Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the Senate concurring therein, that the Legislature hereby supports the negotiations of a Taiwan-United States free trade agreement.

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Adopted by the House of Representatives,

Concurred in by the Senate,

Thomas J. Deadrick Speaker of the House	Karen Gerdes Chief Clerk of the House
Dennis Daugaard President of the Senate	Trudy Evenstad Secretary of the Senate