Whereas, the State of Wisconsin established in 1986 the sister-state relationship with the Taiwan Province, Republic of China (Taiwan), and Wisconsin and Taiwan have enjoyed strong bilateral trade, educational and cultural exchange, and tourism; and

Whereas, Taiwan shares the same values of freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule of law, peace, and prosperity with the United States and the State of Wisconsin; and

Whereas, in 2021, the United States ranked as Taiwan's second-largest trading partner, Taiwan ranked as the eighth-largest trading partner of the United States, and bilateral trade between Taiwan and the United States reached $113.9 billion; and

Whereas, Taiwan and the State of Wisconsin have enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the prospect of future growth, and Taiwan was Wisconsin's seventh-largest export market in Asia in 2021, with over $225 million worth of Wisconsin goods exported to Taiwan; and

Whereas, negotiations for a BTA between Taiwan and the United States are an important step toward further strengthening bilateral trade between our countries, thereby increasing Wisconsin's exports to Taiwan and creating bilateral investment and technical collaboration through tariff reduction and other trade facilitation measures; and

Whereas, Taiwan has undertaken a policy of “steadfast diplomacy” in its international relations, and Taiwan is capable and willing to fulfill its responsibilities and to collaborate with the world to deal with the challenges of humanitarian aid, disease control, and so forth; now, therefore, be it