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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Foreign minister to attend Phoenix office opening
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, left, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung pose for a photograph during Gallego’s visit to Taiwan in January. Photo courtesy the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
DEEPENING TIES: The arrival of fighter jets purchased from the US and Lin Chia-lung’s participation in the office inauguration shows progress in cooperation, a source said
By Su Yong-yao / Staff reporter
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung （林佳龍） is today scheduled to unveil a new Taiwan office in Phoenix, Arizona, signaling continued Taiwan-US cooperation after US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping （習近平） last month, a source said yesterday.
Lin would arrive in Phoenix today after visiting Taiwan’s diplomatic allies Belize and Guatemala, a source said.
He is scheduled to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Phoenix, meet with political figures from Arizona and the city, and visit Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s （TSMC, 台積電） Arizona plant, they said.
Lin would also exchange ideas with Taiwanese enterprise representatives investing in the US to understand the needs of Taiwanese companies expanding their presence in the US, they added.
The business delegation includes members of the National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Association and the Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association, as well as enterprise representatives from the fields of artificial intelligence, technology, biomedicine, tourism and financial trade, the source said.
American Institute in Taiwan Washington Office Managing Director Ingrid Larson is scheduled to visit Phoenix to accompany the delegation, they said.
There have been concerns over Taiwan-US cooperation after Trump met with Xi last month.
Taipei and Washington are making steady progress in their security, economic and diplomatic cooperation, the source said, pointing to the arrival in Taiwan of the first two of 66 F-16V Block 70 jets that Taipei purchased from the US, and Lin’s participation in the inauguration of the nation’s Phoenix office.
Lin’s visit would focus mainly on expanding trade and industrial exchanges, they added.
The trip aims to better understand the operational needs of businesses in Arizona, and to deepen ties with US governments, industries and communities, they said.
Since TSMC announced in 2020 that it would invest in a manufacturing plant in Arizona, it has encouraged Taiwan’s semiconductor supply chain and more than 200 companies to establish plants or operations in the US, which has helped form an industry cluster, the source said.
TSMC’s expansion in the US also proved that Taiwan’s advanced semiconductor industry is capable of proactively and strategically positioning itself globally, they added.
As Taiwanese enterprises expand into the US, they are steadily building up Taiwan’s manufacturing and supply chain integration capabilities, the source said, adding that combined with US innovation, capital and market scale, it would create local opportunities for employment, talent development and industrial collaboration.
The office in Phoenix marks Taiwan’s 14th diplomatic mission in the US, they said.
As Taiwanese businesses continue to expand their investments and footprint in Arizona, so must diplomatic services, extending beyond consular and overseas community affairs to encompass industry, trade and local government cooperation, the source said.
Taiwan can better respond to the needs of businesses through the overseas missions, they added.
Over the past few years, the US has also repeatedly encouraged state governments and businesses to deepen relations with Taiwan, which shows that Taiwan-US exchanges have moved from the federal level to state governments, cities, industries and civic society, the source said.
Lin’s US visit last year, during which he led a delegation to Texas, and this Arizona trip are part of Taiwan’s efforts to expand engagement with US states, they added.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
