Premier Chen receives U.S. Phoenix Mayor Gallego

2023/07/12

Premier Chen Chien-jen said July 10 that Taiwan is committed to deepening cooperation with the U.S., including the State of Arizona, in areas spanning culture, economy, education, technology and trade.
 
The premier made the remarks while meeting with Kate Gallego, mayor of Arizona’s capital city Phoenix, and her delegation in Taipei City.
 
The relationship between Taiwan and Arizona has made great strides over the past four years, as evidenced by the US$40 billion investment by Hsinchu City-headquartered Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. on building chip fabs in Arizona, Chen said. He added that he believes Phoenix will become a U.S. semiconductor industry center and a model for Taiwan-U.S. collaboration in high-tech supply chains.
 
According to Chen, the signing of the first agreement under the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade in June will help strengthen the country’s economic ties with the U.S. A potential agreement on avoidance of double taxation yet to be inked would further encourage Taiwan investment in the North American country, he added.
 
The opening of an Arizona State trade and investment office in Taiwan in March marked an important milestone in the partnership, Chen said, adding that a total of 14 U.S. states and the territory of Guam have established offices in Taiwan, which demonstrates that Taiwan plays a key role for the U.S. to expand its markets into Asia.
 
Chen said since the launch of Taiwan-U.S. Education Initiative in 2020, the U.S. government has strengthened Mandarin learning with Taiwan via exchanges in higher education institutions and K-12 schools, adding that he looks forward to further education cooperation with Phoenix.
 
In response, Gallego said she hopes that the two like-minded partners will bolster collaboration in the fields of biotechnology, electric vehicles, public health and semiconductors. She added that her administration is dedicated to facilitating trade, increasing flights and enhancing exchanges between the younger generations. 


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)