Iowa’s deputy governor is planning a trade mission to Taiwan, an announcement that comes less than three months after Missouri Governor Jay Nixon was allegedly forced to cancel a similar visit to Taiwan following threats of economic reprisals from China.
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds announced plans on Monday to make two trade promotion trips to Asia this year. According to the announcement, Branstad will visit South Korea and China in June, while Reynolds will visit Japan and Taiwan in September.
Both have invited Iowa companies, farmers, organizations and the media to accompany them.
A spokesman for Branstad said he did not know if any consideration had been given to possible threats from Beijing.
Iowa, an agricultural powerhouse, is a key state in the US electoral system because it is the first to hold both Democratic and Republican presidential caucuses. The winners of the Iowa caucuses automatically become the presidential frontrunners. As a result, the state is considered to be one of the most politically powerful and holds considerable sway.
The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) signed an agreement with Taiwan in 2009 to sell Taipei between 110 million and 118 million bushels of soybeans last year and this year for between US$1.35 billion and US$1.4 billion.
ISA chief executive Kirk Leeds said at the time that the deal reflected the long-term friendship between Taiwan and Iowa “in freedom, democracy and trade.”
He said the deal showed the continued commitment of the Taiwan soybean crushing and feed industry to purchase and use US soybeans.
“As the fourth-largest export market for US soybeans, Taiwan remains an important market for Iowa. We appreciate the friendships and business relationships that the US has enjoyed with Taiwan since 1949,” Leeds said.
Reynolds said there were massive opportunities in Asia to increase Iowa’s exports, particularly in pork and soybeans.
On Dec. 1, Nixon announced he would bring a trade delegation to Taiwan. Soon afterwards he scrapped the plan when a Chicago-based Chinese diplomat warned the trip could imperil a project by China to turn St Louis airport into a hub for Chinese cargo in the US.
During a visit to Taipei in late January, American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt said Chinese pressure on Nixon was unacceptable and inconsistent with Beijing’s claims it sought to improve ties with Taipei.
Eight US governors have visited Taiwan over the past two years.
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