The Indiana Senate has passed a resolution urging local businesses to call Taiwan “Taiwan,” the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago said yesterday.
The resolution was proposed by State Senator Jon Ford, cochair of the Indiana Taiwan Friendship Caucus, and State Senator Michael Young, the office said, adding that it passed without objection on Thursday.
The resolution aims to reaffirm Indiana’s commitment to deepen its sister-state relationship with Taiwan, which was established in 1979, and support the Taiwan Relations Act, which was passed in the same year.
Photo: Reuters
The resolution calls on all businesses in Indiana to use the name “Taiwan” instead of belittling the nation by using inappropriate names due to external pressure.
The Indiana Senate urged the US government to sign agreements in bilateral trade and other matters to eliminate double taxation with Taiwan, as they could strengthen relations between the two sides, the office said.
The resolution also calls for Taiwan’s inclusion in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which was launched by the US in May last year, it said.
Taiwan is Indiana’s sixth-largest market for exports in Asia, with the total value of exports reaching US$240 million in 2021, it said.
The resolution supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, where Taiwan can contribute to international society, it said.
Office Director-General Johnson Chiang (姜森) welcomed the resolution and thanked the caucus for firmly supporting Taiwan.
Indiana is an important trade partner to Taiwan, as the two sides are cooperating more closely on agriculture, manufacturing and high-tech supply chains, Chiang said in a statement.
The resolution’s passage indicates that Midwest states, the US’ manufacturing strongholds, are interested in signing bilateral trade agreements with Taiwan, he said.
Calling Taiwan by its real name not only shows respect for Taiwanese, but is in line with the US’ position when dealing with Taiwan, he said.
The “six assurances” and the Taiwan Relations Act are important to the US’ Taiwan policy, and crucial to maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait, he added.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
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