Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Opens in Phoenix: Taiwan Becomes Arizona's Second-Largest Trading Partner
The Phoenix office of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) has officially opened in Phoenix, Arizona. The opening ceremony was held on October 5, attended by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, Taiwan foreign affairs chief Chia-Lung Lin, TECO Phoenix Director General Kevin Chiao and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, among others. The office will support Taiwan companies as they establish operations in Arizona.
According to AZ Big Media on October 21, Taiwan became Arizona's second-largest trading partner last year, with more than $21.2 billion in total bilateral trade. Arizona's exports to Taiwan surged to $4.5 billion, a 243% increase over the prior year, driven by semiconductor and advanced technology shipments, while imports from Taiwan climbed to $16.7 billion across electronics, computer equipment and high-tech components. Overall trade between Arizona and Taiwan has grown by more than 780% since 2020.
According to the Associated Press, TSMC has pledged another $100 billion to expand its north Phoenix operation, bringing its total investment there to $265 billion, the largest single foreign direct investment in U.S. history, and about 500 Taiwanese engineers are working to ramp up production in Arizona, according to Jason Hsu, a former Taiwan lawmaker and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said the city's Taiwanese community is seeing a baby boom, with several hospital labor and delivery units launching Mandarin language programs. Liu Chang, a spokesperson for China's Embassy in the United States, criticized the opening, saying China firmly opposes official interactions of any form between China's Taiwan region and the United States, including its federal and state governments.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Phoenix 市景，图片来源：Hearst 报业图库（供稿标注）
