Arizona expands Taiwan ties with new representative office, ignoring Beijing's warnings

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs joined Taiwanese officials on Monday to launch a new economic and cultural office in the state, pushing forward with the initiative despite objections and pressure from Beijing.

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.

In a July 3 letter, the Chinese authority called 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.

Hobbs highlighted 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.”

Beijing claims the island as a breakaway province inseparable from China, while Taiwan considers itself separate from the Chinese mainland and has its government.

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

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

Around 500 Taiwanese engineers are working to ramp up production at TSMC in Arizona, according to Jason Hsu, a former lawmaker in Taiwan and a senior fellow at the public policy think tank Hudson Institute.

The AP contributed to this report.

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