CASPER, Wyo. — The Wyoming House of Representatives passed House Joint Resolution 13 on a unanimous third reading vote on Wednesday, legislation which aims to reaffirm Wyoming’s support for Taiwan.
The resolution notes that Wyoming adopted Taiwan as a “sister state” on March 5, 1984.
The state’s relationship with Taiwan was visible in 2020 amid the shortage of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers when Taiwan donated 50,000 medical masks to Wyoming.
United States Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral John Aquilino told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he thinks the possibility that China, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province, could invade Taiwan “is much closer to us than most think,” The Hill reported.
The resolution working through the Wyoming Legislature says that “Taiwan shares with the United States and the State of Wyoming the common values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.”
The United States and China concluded their first in-person talks under the administration of President Joe Biden last week and officials traded “sharp and unusually public barbs” with each other, the Associated Press reported. The U.S. has been critical of China on a number of issues including their ambitions toward Taiwan as well as human rights issues in Tibet, Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
The proposed resolution in Wyoming aims to affirm Wyoming’s support for Taiwan’s “appropriate participation in international organizations that improve the health, safety, and well-being of Taiwan.”
“Taiwan’s President, Tsai Ing-wen, has worked tirelessly to uphold democratic principles in Taiwan, to ensure the freedom and prosperity of Taiwan’s twenty-three million (23,000,000) citizens, to promote Taiwan’s international standing as a stable and responsible member of the international community, to increase participation in international organizations, to support societally disadvantaged groups in Taiwan, and to further stabilize, improve and strengthen relations between the United States and Taiwan,” the proposed resolution reads.
The resolution also states that the U.S. is Taiwan’s second largest trading partner and that trade between the two countries reached about $94.5 billion in 2018.
It also notes that the U.S. has included Taiwan in the Visa Waiver PRogram since 2012 which allows Taiwan citizens to travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa.
“The program has and will continue to increase tourism and business between Taiwan and the United States, particularly Wyoming, with the prospect of welcoming more Taiwanese travelers to the United States each year,” the proposed resolution states.
The resolution also says that beef exports to Taiwan are a benefit to Wyoming “and help forge a closer relationship between the State of Wyoming and Taiwan.”
The proposed resolution was amended in the House on first reading to refer to previous President Donald Trump administration’s “historic diplomatic efforts to recognize Taiwan.” The Trump administration “increased the frequency of U.S. Navy ships sailing through the Taiwan Strait, and sold arms to Taiwan with greater regularity — and less concern about China’s objections — than past administrations,” NPR reported in Oct. 2020.
With its third reading passage in the House on Wednesday, House Joint Resolution 13 will move to the Senate for consideration. The resolution is sponsored by:
- Representative(s) Nicholas, Larsen and Sommers
- Senator(s) Driskill and Landen
This article originally appeared on Oil City News. Used with permission.
