Arizona lawmakers thank Taiwan for bolstering state with TSMC investment

Taipei, Sept. 10 (CNA) A group of visiting lawmakers from the state of Arizona on Tuesday said their ongoing visit to Taiwan was meant to thank the country for putting Arizona on the map with Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC's US$150 billion investment.

"We are grateful to the country of Taiwan as these significant economic investments have truly put us on the map," Tony Rivero, a Republican in the Arizona House of Representatives, told CNA in an interview on Tuesday.

He joked that Arizona may have been among the less famous of the 50 U.S. states 10 years ago, before this huge investment was made.

"But this investment has put us in a good position," he added.

Rivero was referring to the investment by TSMC -- the world's largest and most advanced dedicated semiconductor manufacturer -- of over US$150 billion in Arizona.

The first TSMC Arizona fab began mass-producing 4-nanometer chips in late 2024. Construction on the second fab for 3-nanometer chips is nearly complete, and a groundbreaking ceremony for the third fab was held in April 2025.

Rivero said the investment not only enhanced Arizona and Taiwan's economic ties, but also created thousands of jobs in the state. With the increasing demand, Arizona's capital city, Phoenix, and Taiwan will soon be opening direct flights.

"So, while the distance between both sides on paper is far, technology, communication, and the investments that are being made on both sides are going to make it much easier [for bilateral exchanges]," said Rivero, who chairs the Arizona House of Representatives' International Trade Committee.

As of Wednesday, two Taiwanese airlines, China Airlines and Starlux, have announced plans to launch direct flights between the two sides. China Airlines' direct flights between Taipei and Phoenix, Arizona, which will officially begin on Dec. 3, will make it the first Asian airline to serve the city in the southwestern U.S. The flight schedule includes a stopover in Los Angeles for the return trip to Taipei.

Starlux Airlines, meanwhile, plans to begin a nonstop Taipei-Phoenix service on Jan. 15, 2026.

During the interview, Rivero, who is leading a seven-member, cross-party state parliamentary delegation on the visit from Monday through Friday, said another goal of the trip is to expand economic opportunities and celebrate the relationship between Taiwan and the U.S.

The Arizona lawmaker said he plans to draft legislation in this upcoming session to create a mechanism for the legislatures of Arizona and Taiwan to set up a commission to forge ties and look for more opportunities for cooperation in higher education and workforce development.

Another bill he will be proposing is to support Taiwan's international participation -- necessary because of how China "misinterprets" United Nations Resolution 2758, which recognized the People's Republic of China (PRC) as the U.N. representative in 1971, he said.

Resolution 2758 led to the PRC entering the U.N. and Taiwan, officially named the Republic of China (ROC), leaving the multilateral body. Since then, Taiwan has been excluded from the U.N. and its affiliated agencies.

Another member of the delegation, Kevin Volk of the Democratic Party, used Interpol, which Taiwan is also barred from attending due to China's objections, to make the point that Taiwan should be included in such international organizations.

"If Interpol sends out an alert and Taiwan is not participating in those communications, I think that's hurtful to Taiwan, I think it's hurtful to the rest of the world. It's not only harming just the U.S. and Arizona, but it's an issue that hurts the entire globe," Volk said.

Aside from Rivero and Volk, other members of delegation included Frank Carroll (R), majority whip of the Arizona State Senate; Tim Dunn (R), vice chair of Natural Resources Committee at Arizona State Senate; Lupe Diaz (R), chair of the Land, Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee; Walt Blackman (R), chair of Government Committee, and Lydia Hernandez (D).

While in Taiwan, they are scheduled to attend events related to SEMICON Taiwan, an annual semiconductor exhibition, and meet with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), political parties across the aisle, and Taipei City, which established a sister city relationship with Phoenix in 1979.