Hawaii Leg wants Taiwan in the TPP
As of yesterday, both houses of the Legislature have passed resolutions urging President Obama to support Taiwan's entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The Hawaii State House of Representatives, yesterday, passed HR52 HD1, joining the Senate in support of Taiwanese entry into the massive Pacific free-trade treaty currently under secret negotiations (the Senate passed an earlier resolution in support on the 17 of April).
The House resolution cites President Obama’s “Rebalancing to Asia” foreign policy strategy—which will require Asian nations to “integrate into the regional economic organizations”—and Taiwanese President Ma-Ying Jeou’s 2014 New Years Address—in which he announced that Taiwan would do its utmost to enter the TPP—as reasons Hawaii’s lawmakers should express their support for The Republic of China’s (Taiwan) entry into the TPP.
Should Taiwan join the TPP, it will become the 6th largest participating economy. It is currently the 18th largest economy in the world and the 10th largest economy in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
To read the full resolution, click here.