Taiwan’s foreign minister to visit Arizona to deepen economic ties

Taiwan’s foreign minister is set to visit Arizona for meetings with local officials and semiconductor companies, underscoring Taipei’s effort to deepen economic ties with the as US President Donald Trump seeks to stabilise relations with China.

Foreign minister Lin Chia-lung is expected to arrive in Phoenix on Saturday evening, following his visits to Belize and Guatemala, according to two officials familiar with the matter.

Lin is scheduled to attend the opening of Taiwan’s new representative office in Phoenix, meet state and city officials and visit Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s factory in the state, said the officials, who asked not to be identified discussing a sensitive matter.

The trip aims to strengthen support for Taiwanese companies investing in the US, and seeks to build industrial clusters in partnership with the US government and academic institutions, encouraging more Taiwanese companies in the semiconductor supply chain to establish operations in the US, according to one of the officials.

Lin’s Arizona visit comes a week after Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state visit in Washington, during which they agreed to maintain a trade truce until early 2027. At the meeting, Xi also urged the US to “oppose” Taiwan independence, in what would amount to a change in Washington’s decades-old stance on the self-ruled island.

Taiwan remains one of the most sensitive issues in US-China relations. Beijing claims the democratically governed island as part of its territory and has vowed to bring it under its control, by force if necessary. Taiwan rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claim. The US formally recogniwes Beijing rather than Taipei but maintains unofficial relations with Taiwan and is its main security partner.

The island has sought to use its prowess in tech supply chain as diplomatic leverage, arguing that Trump’s efforts to re-industrialise the US and rebuild its semiconductor manufacturing capacity will need Taiwan’s help.

China has worked to persuade countries around the world to drop their recognition of Taiwan. The government in Taipei insists Taiwan is a de facto independent country. It had recognition from several countries in Central America until the past decade, when Panama, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras switched to China, leaving Guatemala and Belize alone in the region with ties to Taiwan.