VP Lai receives Michigan delegation

2024/03/06

Vice President Lai Ching-te welcomed a delegation led by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer at the Presidential Office Mar. 4 in Taipei City.

In his welcome speech, Lai first expressed his gratitude for the state’s long-standing support of Taiwan. The Michigan Legislature has passed multiple Taiwan-friendly resolutions, which is significant for Taiwan’s international participation, he added.

The vice president also noted that the cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. state has yielded concrete results: over 10,000 people from Taiwan currently attend schools or work in Michigan; additionally, Taiwan is Michigan’s fifth largest import market in Asia as well as the state’s sixth largest export market overall.

Whitmer’s visit is timed to coincide with the launch of the Michigan Taiwan Office, which Lai hailed as an excellent opportunity to enhance bilateral trade. As the birthplace of General Motors, Chrysler and Ford, Michigan is a hub of the global automotive industry and Lai voiced confidence in its potential in the era of self-driving vehicles.

The prominence of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry brings with it a responsibility for the promotion of global prosperity, Lai said as he expressed a hope that high-tech collaborations would be a win-win scenario for both Taiwan’s semiconductor industry and Michigan’s automotive manufacturing sector.

In her remarks, Whitmer congratulated Lai and Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim on their electoral victory. She added that the establishment of the Michigan Taiwan Office is an embodiment of her state’s promise to develop a mutually beneficial partnership, and she looks forward to further collaboration between the two sides.


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