Shelley Berkley: “Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 266, expressing the sense of Congress that Taiwan should be…”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 266, expressing the sense of Congress that Taiwan should be accorded observer status in the International Civil Aviation Organization, the ICAO. As cochairman of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, I have seen firsthand the amazing progress that Taiwan has made in its economic and political development. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Taiwan's economy grew by more than an amazing 10 percent per year and is now the United States' ninth-largest overall trading partner, with two-way trade in 2008 valued at $61.6 billion. Taiwan also is the sixth-largest destination for U.S. agricultural exports, about $2.5 billion annually. Meanwhile, Taiwan has developed one of the strongest democracies in the region, having had several peaceful, democratic transfers of power. I have met their current President, President Ma Ying-jeou, who is a well-spoken, Western-educated leader who has worked very hard to reduce tensions between Taiwan and China and concluded an Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with the PRC Government recently. All the while, however, Taiwan has been shut out of participating in international organizations like the International Civil Aviation Organization.”