Arizona welcomes representative office

CULTURAL OUTREACH: The office will serve the region where TSMC is industriously expanding its presence, despite Chinese diplomatic efforts to interfere with its opening

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs joined Taiwanese leaders at the opening of an economic and cultural office on Monday to aid Taiwanese businesses and citizens in the region, despite pressure from the Chinese government to block it.

The new Phoenix office, the 14th such office in the US, is meant to promote collaboration in technology, especially in semiconductor manufacturing, and better serve the growing number of Taiwanese in the city.

After the plans for the office were announced in July, Hobbs received two letters from China’s consulate general in Los Angeles asking her to object to the proposal, according to documents the governor’s office shared with The Associated Press.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, left, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung unveil a plaque at the opening of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Phoenix on Monday.

Photo: AP

In a July 3 letter, the Chinese authority called on the governor to “refute such an attempt by the Taiwan authorities and stop any political gimmicks to harm the friendship and cooperation between China and the state of Arizona.”

The stance was reiterated in an Aug. 21 letter.

The letters were first reported by Phoenix radio station KJZZ.

Hobbs spoke about Arizona’s ties with Taiwan at Monday’s opening.

“Every Arizona elected official should show the courage necessary to support the partnership between Arizona and Taiwan,” Hobbs said. “As our economic partnership grows, we are mobilizing every available resource to support Taiwanese companies expanding here in Arizona.”

Academics say that local-level collaborations with the Chinese government and Taiwan have become more politicized as US-China relations have deteriorated over the years.

“China firmly opposes official interactions of any form between China’s Taiwan region and the US, including its federal and state governments,” Liu Chang (劉暢), a spokesperson for China’s embassy in the US, said in a statement on Monday.

Taiwan has been increasing its economic footprint in Arizona, with advanced chipmaker Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) pledging US$100 billion to expand its operation in northern Phoenix. That brings its investment in the city to US$265 billion, the largest foreign direct investment in US history.

About 500 Taiwanese engineers are working in Arizona to accelerate production at the TSMC facility, according to Jason Hsu (許毓仁), a former Taiwanese lawmaker and a senior fellow at the public policy think tank Hudson Institute.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said the city is seeing a sort of “baby boom” in its Taiwanese communities, with several labor and delivery rooms even launching Mandarin-language programs.

At the opening ceremony on Monday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the establishment of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Phoenix is a milestone in the “symbiotic partnership” between Taiwan and the US.

The partnership is built on shared interests, mutual benefits and a commitment to working together to promote growth and prosperity, he said.

Lin said that Arizona is an important economic partner for Taiwan.

In the first quarter alone, TSMC’s US operations generated nearly US$600 million in profit, surpassing its full-year profit from last year, he said.

The strong growth demonstrated how Taiwan’s investments are creating value for both sides, he said.