Taiwan’s Phoenix Office Officially Unveiled in Phoenix on Monday (October 5). Foreign media revealed that the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles had previously sent two letters to Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, requesting her to oppose the establishment of Taiwan’s office. However, the governor did not comply with the Chinese demand and publicly expressed support for Taiwan at the opening event.
In recent years, Phoenix has become an important hub for Taiwan-U.S. high-tech and supply chain cooperation. When Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the establishment of the office in July, it stated that with Taiwan’s semiconductor supply chain firms expanding local investments, Phoenix has gradually evolved into a tech industry cluster of scale and strategic significance. The U.S. State Department also noted that the new office would further promote the long-term, deep, and sustainable economic and civil relations between the U.S. and Taiwan.
According to reports from the Associated Press, documents provided by the Arizona Governor’s office showed that after Taiwan announced the establishment of its office in Phoenix in July, the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles twice wrote to Katie Hobbs, urging her to oppose the proposal.
In the letter on July 3, China requested Hobbs to “oppose the attempt by the Taiwan authorities and stop any political maneuvers that could harm the friendship and cooperation between China and Arizona.”
Subsequently, on August 21, Beijing reiterated the same position in another letter. These two letters were first disclosed by the Phoenix radio station KJZZ.
However, the Taiwan office in Phoenix was eventually established as planned. It is Taiwan’s 14th office set up in the U.S., primarily responsible for promoting bilateral cooperation in technology and trade, especially in semiconductor industry exchanges, and providing services for the increasing number of Taiwanese residents in the area.
During the opening event of the office in Phoenix, Governor Hobbs emphasized the partnership between Arizona and Taiwan, stating, “Every elected official in Arizona should show the necessary courage to support the partnership between Arizona and Taiwan.”
She further mentioned, “As our economic partnership continues to develop, we are mobilizing all available resources to support Taiwanese companies expanding business in Arizona.”
In a statement on Monday, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. emphasized that China firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between the U.S. and the Chinese Taiwan region, including with the federal and state governments.
In recent years, Taiwan’s economic presence in Arizona has rapidly expanded. TSMC has pledged an additional $100 billion investment to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in North Phoenix, bringing its total investment in the area to $26.5 billion, the largest foreign direct investment in U.S. history.
Former Taiwanese legislator and senior researcher at the Hudson Institute, Jason Hsu, stated that approximately 500 Taiwanese engineers are currently assisting TSMC in increasing production in Arizona.
The continuous influx of Taiwanese businesses and engineering personnel has led to a rapid expansion of the Taiwanese community in Phoenix. Mayor Kate Gallego mentioned that the local Taiwanese community has even seen a sort of “baby boom” with some hospitals starting to offer Chinese services in maternity wards.