Taiwan's 107th Anniversary
Floor Speech
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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 107th anniversary of the founding of Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China.
As a member of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, I long have been impressed with how this island of twenty-three million people punches above its weight and has become an economic powerhouse. It is home to Foxconn, one of the world's largest electronics manufacturers, as well as other large technology companies such as ASUS, Pegatron, and Quanta Computer. In fact, Taiwan is known as one of the Four Asian Tigers whose rapid economic expansion has served as models for other developing countries.
The United States and Taiwan also enjoy a strong albeit unofficial relationship which is maintained by the American Institute in Taiwan. According to the United States Trade Representative, Taiwan is the United States' tenth largest trading partner and the United States is Taiwan's third largest trading partner (after China and Hong Kong). U.S. goods and services trade with Taiwan totaled an estimated $84.7 billion in 2016.
My home state of Georgia also has a strong relationship with Taiwan. Last year, Georgia exported more than $400 million in goods to Taiwan including heterocyclic compounds, civilian aircraft engines and parts, poultry, data processors, cotton and kaolinic clays. There are a number of Georgia companies spanning across multiple industries that have operations in Taiwan.
Our relationship, however, is much deeper than just trade. Two Georgia cities have sister city agreements with Taiwan--Atlanta (Taipei) and Columbus (Taichung). In addition, the wife and sisters-in- law of Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the Republic of China, all attended Wesleyan College in Macon in the early 1900s.
The hard work, ingenuity, and tenacity of the people of Taiwan are to be commended on the 107th anniversary of the Republic of China. I look forward to many more years of continued cooperation and goodwill between our two nations in the years to come.
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