Senator Cropsey offered the following resolution:

            Senate Resolution No. 151.

            A resolution affirming support for increasing Taiwan’s international space and participation in and contribution to the global community.

            Whereas, The Republic of China (Taiwan) has achieved economic and social stability. In the last two decades, the Republic of China (Taiwan) has been lauded as a beacon of democracy for Asia, dramatically improved its record on human rights, and taken great steps forward to enter the world arena as a trusted partner; and

            Whereas, Michigan has a strong cultural, education, and economic relationship with Taiwan. Taiwan is Michigan’s 20th-largest export market, and Michigan’s exports to Taiwan reached $208.21 million in 2008; and

            Whereas, Taiwan’s absence from international organizations dealing with climate change has impeded its ability to respond to natural disasters like Typhoon Morakot, which struck Taiwan in the summer of 2009 and was an unusually bad typhoon season in the Pacific that was possibly exacerbated by climate change. In turn, the global initiative to tackle climate change has been impaired by the lack of participation, or observer status, of Taiwan, the world’s 17th-largest economy; and

            Whereas, The Taiwanese government is grateful for the assistance and condolences of the international community in the wake of Typhoon Morakot in 2009. Dozens of international organizations and nations stepped up to help, including the United States, which supplied military equipment for rescue and recovery operations, the European Union, Japan, and the Chinese mainland; and

            Whereas, Aviation safety has become a major global concern since 2001. Taiwan is a key air transport hub in the Asia-Pacific region, with over 1.35 million flights passing through the Taipei Flight Information Region, and its Taoyuan International Airport is the world’s 15th-largest airport by cargo volume; and

            Whereas, The Taiwanese government has undertaken a policy of flexible diplomacy in its international relations and a pragmatic approach to China, having completed a number of cross-strait liberalization measures, including regular, direct passenger flights between mainland China and Taiwan and other goodwill measures, resulting in reciprocal gestures and harmonious relations between Taipei and Beijing; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the Senate, That the Michigan Senate affirms its support for the participation of Taiwan in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to increase Taiwan’s international space and contribution to the global community; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer, ICAO Secretary General Raymond Benjamin, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, Illinois.