The Minnesota General Assembly yesterday passed a resolution reaffirming its commitment to strengthening and deepening sister ties between the US state and Taiwan, marking the fifth consecutive year that a pro-Taiwan resolution was passed with unanimous bipartisan support.
As this month marks Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Minnesota followed Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin in passing pro-Taiwan resolutions.
It also broke a record by having all senators join the Taiwan caucus.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Chicago via CNA
The resolution reaffirmed its support for the Taiwan Relations Act, Taiwan's signing of a bilateral trade agreement, the Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity with the US, as well as increasing Taiwan's international profile and its meaningful participation in international organizations.
Minnesota established a sister-state relationship with Taiwan in 1984, the resolution said, adding that both sides have enjoyed strong bilateral trade, educational and cultural exchanges, and tourism.
The US ranks as Taiwan's second-largest trading partner, while Taiwan is the seventh-largest trading partner of the US, with bilateral trade reaching more than US$158.6 billion in 2024, it said.
Taiwan and Minnesota have also enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the prospect of future growth, it said.
Taiwan was Minnesota's ninth-largest export market in 2024, with US$644 million-worth of Minnesota goods exported to Taiwan, it added.
Taiwan shares the same values of freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule of law, peace and prosperity with the US and Minnesota, the resolution said.
To strengthen the Taiwan-Minnesota economic relationship, it is essential to support Minnesota businesses to enhance their economic engagement with Taiwan based on the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, it said.
Taiwan has undertaken a policy of "integrated diplomacy," highlighting value-based diplomacy, alliance-based diplomacy, and economic and trade diplomacy, it said, adding that Taiwan is capable of — and willing to — fulfill its responsibilities and to collaborate with the world to deal with the challenges of humanitarian aid and disease control.
The resolution, passed by the Minnesota State Senate and House of Representatives, was sponsored by bipartisan leaders, including Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, majority leader Erin Murphy, minority leader Jeremy Miller and Taiwan caucus cochair Jason Rarick, as well as House of Representatives Speaker Lisa Demuth, majority leader Harry Niska, floor leader Jamie Long and Taiwan caucus cochair Liz Lee.
Lawmakers also voiced support for President William Lai’s (賴清德) visit to Eswatini this weekend and condemned what they described as unreasonable pressure from China, after being briefed by Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Chicago Director-General Dennis Lei (類延峰).
Taiwan occupies a central strategic position in the first island chain and plays a key role in global high-tech supply chains, Lei said, adding that Taiwan and the US are steadfast partners in security, trade and shared values.
The US is now Taiwan’s largest destination for foreign investment, accounting for more than 40 percent of Taiwan’s outward investment, he said.
Taiwan’s economy grew by more than 8 percent last year, with first-quarter growth this year projected to exceed 13 percent, he said.
He attributed this in part to US firms such as Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices Inc, Alphabet and Apple sourcing semiconductor-related products from Taiwan, highlighting the complementary and mutually beneficial nature of US-Taiwan technological cooperation and tightly integrated supply chains.
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