WHEREAS, On August 2, 2020, Director-General Scott Lai assumed his duty as the head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the City of San Francisco, the official representative office and the de facto consulate general of the Government of the Republic of China of Taiwan in the areas of northern California, the State of Nevada, and the State of Utah; and

WHEREAS, Taiwan is a vital partner of the United States and the State of California. Since the Taiwan Relations Act was enacted in 1979, Taiwan has enjoyed extensive, close, and friendly relations with the United States in commerce, culture, tourism, and more; and

WHEREAS, Taiwan and California established a sister state relationship in 1984, and California also declared the first week of May to be “Taiwan Week” in 2015. This relationship has been tangibly strengthened over the past decades in trade, science and technology, education, tourism, and culture; and

WHEREAS, Since he assumed his office, Director-General Lai and his office have spared no efforts in promoting the mutually beneficial relationship between Taiwan and California and in uniting Taiwanese and Chinese American communities in strong support of democracy, human rights, freedom, the rule of law, equality, and justice; and

WHEREAS, Taiwan now stands as California’s sixth largest trading partner, with a bilateral trade volume of $27.2 billion in United States dollars, contributing to more than 120,000 jobs in California. Taiwan is ranked as the 14th largest export market of California agricultural products, with an annual volume of $260,000,000 in United States dollars in 2020. Taiwan-affiliated companies and exports of United States goods and services support over 373,000 well-paying American jobs; and

WHEREAS, Taiwan is a strong ally in the Asia Pacific region for the United States, and the United States-Taiwan relationship is the best it has been in decades. Taiwan’s high-tech industries, such as silicon wafers and semiconductors, play a key role in the global industrial chain and are closely related to the development of the United States automotive, computer, and other industries. The technologies and key products that Taiwanese companies provide are also critical to United States national security; and

WHEREAS, Taiwan has the ability and willingness to contribute to international society, and strives toward meaningful participation in important international organizations such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Criminal Police Organization, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; and

WHEREAS, Taiwan has completed 36 driver’s license agreements with state governments in the United States, which has benefited more than 16,000 Taiwanese driver’s licenseholders. The reciprocal driver’s license agreement has become a big incentive for people in Taiwan when choosing where to study or conduct business in the United States, and TECO in the City of San Francisco would like to complete that agreement between Taiwan and California; now, therefore, be it