,,iii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #hjd ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #ag1 #bjbj,mr4 ,toomey 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,cotton1 ,mr4 ,lankford1 ,mr4 ,cramer1 ,mr4 ,hoeven1 ,mr4 ,young1 ,mrs4 ,hyde-,smith1 ,mr4 ,sasse1 ,mr4 ,cornyn1 ,mrs4 ,blackburn1 ,mr4 ,boozman1 ,mr4 ,wicker1 ,mr4 ,rubio1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 ,mr4 ,johnson1 ,mr4 ,cruz1 ,mr4 ,inhofe1 ,mr4 ,kennedy1 ,mrs4 ,fischer1 ,mr4 ,braun1 ,mr4 ,scott of ,south ,carolina1 ,mr4 ,rounds1 ,mr4 ,daines1 ,mr4 ,barrasso1 ,mrs4 ,capito1 and ,mr4 ,lee7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,finance ,,resolution ,expressing the sense of the ,senate that the ,united ,states should initiate negotiations to enter into a free trade agreement with ,taiwan4 ,whereas1 pursuant to section #b7;b77#a7 of the ,taiwan ,relations ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #ccja7;b77#a771 it is the policy of the ,united ,states to promote extensive1 close1 and friendly commercial1 cultural1 and other relations between the people of the ,united ,states and the people on ,taiwan2 ,whereas the friendship between the ,united ,states and ,taiwan is based on a shared commitment to individual and economic freedom1 shared values1 and an appreciation for the blessings of liberty and democracy2 ,whereas the ,united ,states and ,taiwan enjoy a robust trade partnership1 marked by the exchange of goods and services and international travel2 ,whereas ,taiwan has shown an interest in strengthening its economic relationship with the ,united ,states by investing in technology manufacturing facilities located within the ,united ,states and agreeing to lift restrictions on the importation of certain ,united ,states agricultural products2 ,whereas ,taiwan has demonstrated a commitment to protecting intellectual property and individual freedom by serving as a leader in the responsible development of technology1 as evidenced through a ,joint ,declaration on #e;,g ,security announced between the ,american ,institute in ,taiwan and the ,taipei ,economic and ,cultural ,representative ,office in ,august #bjbj2 ,whereas ,taiwan has played an integral role in the global supply chain during the coronavirus disease #bjai 7commonly known as ,,covid-#ai7 pandemic1 producing mass amounts of masks at the time when masks were most scarce and ensuring that this critical tool was available to individuals around the world2 ,whereas the ,united ,states has consistently supported peaceful relations between ,taiwan and the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 and respected the provisions of both the ,taiwan ,relations ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #ccja et seq47 and the ,six ,assurances offered by ,president ,ronald ,reagan to ,taiwan in #aihb2 ,whereas the ,people's ,republic of ,china has shown a hostility to ,taiwan1 aggressively asserting its military power1 using coercive economic measures to keep ,taiwan economically dependent on the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 and seeking to isolate ,taiwan from the rest of the world2 ,whereas the policy of the ,united ,states is to advance a free and open ,indo-,pacific region1 and achieving that vision must include working with like-minded countries in the region to liberalize trade2 ,whereas the ,united ,states is currently ,taiwan's #bnd largest trading partner1 and ,taiwan is the #ajth largest trading partner of the ,united ,states in goods and #aath largest trading partner overall2 ,whereas ,taiwan has been a member of the ,world ,trade ,organization since #bjjb2 ,whereas bilateral trade in goods between ,taiwan and the ,united ,states increased from #fb1jjj1jjj1jjj in #bjaj to #hf1jjj1jjj1jjj in #bjai1 according to the ,united ,states ,census ,bureau2 ,whereas ,taiwan's foreign direct investment stock in the ,united ,states was #aa1ajj1jjj1jjj as of #bjai2 ,whereas trade with ,taiwan supports an estimated #bjh1jjj ,united ,states jobs according to estimates of the ,united ,states ,department of ,commerce as of #bjae2 ,whereas closer engagement with ,taiwan through trade negotiations would encourage even greater access to ,taiwan's market and would benefit both security and economic growth for the ,united ,states1 ,taiwan1 and the ,indo-,pacific region2 ,whereas it is essential that a free trade agreement negotiated between the ,united ,states and ,taiwan lower tariff and nontariff barriers to trade1 including meaningfully expanded access to agricultural markets and ensuring that science-based standards govern international trade in animals and animal products2 ,whereas the ,bipartisan ,congressional ,trade ,priorities and ,accountability ,act of #bjae 7#ai ,u4,s4,c4 #dbja et seq47 enables the ,president to negotiate reciprocal reductions of nontariff barriers while preserving the authority of ,congress over foreign trade as required by section #h of article ,i of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the procedures laid out in the ,bipartisan ,congressional ,trade ,priorities and ,accountability ,act of #bjae were designed by ,congress to maintain the sovereignty of ,congress over trade2 and ,whereas1 for legislation implementing a trade agreement to qualify for trade authorities procedures under the ,bipartisan ,congressional ,trade ,priorities and ,accountability ,act of #bjae1 the trade agreement is required to make progress toward achieving the applicable objectives1 policies1 and priorities set forth by ,congress in that ,act1 and failure by the administration of a ,president to adhere to the trade negotiating objectives and notification and consultation requirements established by ,congress renders a trade agreement ineligible for fast-track consideration3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that it is the sense of the ,senate that the ,united ,states should initiate negotiations to enter into a free trade agreement with ,taiwan4