The governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, hopes that the California Foreign Trade Office in Taipei can be reopened as soon as possible, said Matthew Lee (李世明), director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco, on Tuesday.
Lee said that Schwarzenegger places considerable importance on the enduring friendship and trade relations with Taiwan, which was the state's fourth-largest export market in 2002.
The high volume of trade between California and Taiwan is believed to be one of the main reasons Schwarzenegger wishes to see the Taipei office up and running again.
California closed foreign trade offices in Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan last fall due to a budget crisis. The Taipei office closed its doors on Sept. 30.
And though he won't be coming in person, the California governor has delegated Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante to attend President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) inauguration ceremony on May 20.
"The governor is much occupied by state affairs and unable to join the presidential inauguration in person. But he personally appointed the lieutenant governor to come to Taipei for the celebration during a meeting of the government," Lee said.
It is nor clear if Bustamante will raise the issue of reopening the Taipei office during his visit.
An official at the foreign ministry's Department of North American Affairs yesterday said that although the closure of the Taipei office did not substantially affect trade with California, the operation of the facility had and would have diplomatic significance.
The office served as a "business window" between Taiwan and California, one of the 10 largest economies in the world with a gross state product of approximately US$1.4 trillion, the official said.
The official gave no timetable for when the Taipei office may reopen, noting the California government would have to undergo a lengthy procedure to decide whether to reopen its Asian foreign-trade facilities.
And although there had been no concrete moves to match Schwarzenegger's reported enthusiasm to reopen the Taipei office, ethnic Taiwanese in California have continued to lobby to this end, the official said.
Richard Tsai (蔡元凱), director of the Taiwan Trade Center in San Francisco, represented the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco when testifying at a hearing of the California State Assembly Select Committee on California's Foreign Trade Offices on Feb. 12.
The hearing considered optimal organizational structures and activities that would ensure robust and sustainable international trade.
Tsai, urging the state to reopen the Taipei office, said during the hearing that the office had facilitated US$5.4 billion in exports for California companies in 2002.
According to the California Chamber of Commerce, Taiwan was the state's fourth-largest export market in 2002. Mexico, Japan and Canada were the state's three top trade partners.
California's total export volume with Taiwan in 1999, 2000 and 2001 stood at US$6.4 billion, US$7.3 billion and US$5.6 billion, according to the agency.
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