HJR 48: Sending a message of goodwill to President Chen Shui-bian, and reaffirming the Alaska State Legislature's 2003 resolution urging the United States Congress to support the granting of official Observer Status to the Republic of China and to support negotiation of a free trade agreement with the Republic of China.
00 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 48 01 Sending a message of goodwill to President Chen Shui-bian, and reaffirming the Alaska 02 State Legislature's 2003 resolution urging the United States Congress to support the 03 granting of official Observer Status to the Republic of China and to support negotiation 04 of a free trade agreement with the Republic of China. 05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06 WHEREAS President Chen Shui-bian has been reelected as President of the Republic 07 of China; and 08 WHEREAS Legislative Resolve No. 29, passed by the Alaska State Legislature in the 09 First Regular Session of the Twenty-Third Legislature, continues to reflect the view of the 10 legislature; and 11 WHEREAS the United States, including the State of Alaska, and the Republic of 12 China, in Taiwan, have long been valued and close partners in trade and cultural exchanges; 13 and 14 WHEREAS the Republic of China is the eighth largest trading partner of the United 15 States and is a significant trading partner of the State of Alaska; and
01 WHEREAS the Republic of China is showing signs of significant potential for 02 increasing trade with the United States and the State of Alaska as the world economy 03 continues to recover from recession; and 04 WHEREAS free trade among the peoples of the world is of vital importance to the 05 United States, including the citizens of Alaska, and to the Republic of China; and 06 WHEREAS the importance of free trade is strongly acknowledged in Alaska, the 07 Municipality of Anchorage and the City of Taipei having signed a Partner Cities Agreement 08 to encourage trade and cultural exchange; and 09 WHEREAS the United States and the Republic of China have, for decades, been 10 willing signers of mutual defense treaties; and 11 WHEREAS the health of the peoples of the world is of vital importance to the United 12 States, including the citizens of Alaska, and to the Republic of China; and 13 WHEREAS the people of the United States and the Republic of China have 14 generously contributed to programs that benefit the health of the peoples of the world; and 15 WHEREAS it would be mutually beneficial to the people of the United States, 16 including Alaska, and the people of the Republic of China to both assist and realize a 17 continuation of international efforts the goal of which is to expand and further develop health- 18 related knowledge; and 19 WHEREAS today there is a strong need for the rapid and complete international 20 dissemination of health-medical information and research results in view of the recent 21 outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), considered to be a worldwide 22 health threat; 23 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature continues to encourage the 24 United States Congress to authorize the United States to endorse the request by the Republic 25 of China to be granted official Observer Status at the World Health Organization; and be it 26 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature again urges the United 27 States Congress to encourage the administration of President George W. Bush to negotiate a 28 free trade agreement with the Republic of China; and be it 29 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature sends a message of 30 goodwill to President Chen Shui-bian regarding his reelection and reaffirming the State of 31 Alaska's relationship with the Republic of China.
01 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Chen Shui-bian, President of 02 the Republic of China; the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States; the 03 Honorable Colin Powell, United States Secretary of State; the Honorable Tommy Thompson, 04 United States Secretary of Health and Human Services; the World Health Assembly; the 05 World Health Organization; Jack K. C. Chiang, Director General, Taipei Economic and 06 Cultural Office, 2001 Sixth Avenue, Suite 2410, Seattle, WA 98121; and to the Honorable 07 Ted Stevens and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don 08 Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.