Foreign minister opens Phoenix office, 14th U.S. diplomatic post

Taipei, Oct. 6 (CNA) Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) joined Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego to open Taiwan's 14th representative office in the United States, in Phoenix, Arizona, on Monday (local time).

In a Facebook post, Lin said the office, officially named the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Phoenix, Arizona, became fully operational after only six months of preparation.

He thanked President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Hobbs and the U.S. State Department for their support in opening the office.

The minister said the new office is expected to help deepen Taiwan-U.S. cooperation and improve government services for overseas Taiwanese.

In the absence of formal diplomatic ties, Taiwan's overseas missions in most countries, including the U.S., are called economic and cultural offices rather than embassies or consulates.

During Monday's ceremony, Hobbs was quoted by the Associated Press (AP) as saying that "Every Arizona elected official should show the courage necessary to support the partnership between Arizona and Taiwan."

"As our economic partnership grows, we are mobilizing every available resource to support Taiwanese companies expanding here in Arizona," Hobbs said.

Taiwan first announced in July that it planned to open the office. According to reports by the AP and Phoenix radio station KJZZ, Hobbs subsequently received two letters from China's Consulate General in Los Angeles urging her to oppose the plan to open the office.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Phoenix, the Arizona capital, is an important and rapidly growing city in the southwestern United States, particularly since Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) began investing in the state in recent years.

TSMC's first fab in Arizona began mass production in the fourth quarter of 2024. A second fab has been built, with production expected to begin in the second half of 2027. A third fab is under construction.

In his Facebook post, Lin also said that while in Phoenix, he visited TSMC Arizona and witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Taiwan's National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Association and the Arizona Commerce Authority.

The Phoenix office joins the headquarters in Washington, D.C. and offices in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Chicago, Honolulu, Denver, Miami and Guam.

Lin's visit to Arizona came after he concluded a weeklong visit to Taiwan's two diplomatic allies in Central America, Belize and Guatemala.

He is scheduled to leave the U.S. on Monday (local time).