Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer yesterday announced the opening of an office in Taiwan to encourage Taiwanese investment in the US state and bolster economic ties with Taiwan.
Whitmer, who is visiting Taiwan for the second time in six months, told a news conference in Taipei that she is looking forward to having “thoughtful, longer-term conversations” with Taiwanese businesses to further enhance cooperation.
During her delegation’s two-day trip, the governor is to host the opening reception of the office, which is “an extension of a partnership that is built over years” between Taiwan and Michigan, she said.
Photo: CNA
The state is always exploring opportunities to expand cooperation that is mutually beneficial to Taiwan and Michigan, she added.
Beginning with two to three staff, the office could be expanded as demand warrants, Michigan Economic Development Corp (MEDC) chief executive officer Quentin Messer Jr said.
Through the two visits and efforts in between, the state is “slowly building a trust relationship” with Taiwan, hoping to demonstrate to Taiwanese businesses the importance Michigan attaches to economic ties with the nation, Messer said.
The state is particularly focused on cooperation in semiconductors, clean technology, mobility innovation, and defense and aerospace innovation, he said.
Taiwan’s expertise in semiconductors and clean energy would benefit Michigan’s economy, whose backbone is in manufacturing, Whitmer said.
“Learning from and working with Taiwanese companies is crucial for our success,” she said.
Michigan has a history of welcoming foreign direct investment, especially from Asian nations, in the innovation and mobility sector, Messer said.
“There is an appetite and a desire” to welcome more investment under the support of the administration that is committed to facilitating the process, he added.
Small and medium-sized Michigan manufacturers and businesses are looking to invest in Taiwan, frequently sending delegations to the nation to “connect with Taiwanese customers,” he said.
The state is not only seeking to deepen commercial ties with Taiwan through the new office, but also cultural, educational and people-to-people relations, he said.
Later yesterday, the delegation met with Vice President William Lai (賴清德), who thanked Michigan for its long-term support for the nation, such as through the passage of Taiwan-friendly bills in the state legislature.
The opening of the office would greatly benefit economic and trade cooperation between Taiwan and Michigan, Lai said, adding that he hoped to see a win-win outcome achieved through the partnership of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry and Michigan’s auto industry.
The delegation is to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) this morning, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said.
The Michigan Senate and Michigan House of Representatives established cross-party Taiwan Friendship Caucuses in March 2022 and passed resolutions in support of Taiwan in 2022 and last year, Lin said.
Taiwan and Michigan have enhanced cooperation in semiconductors, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence in the past few years, Lin said, adding that Taiwan hopes to deepen educational cooperation and exchanges with the state.
CREDIT-GRABBER: China said its coast guard rescued the crew of a fishing vessel that caught fire, who were actually rescued by a nearby Taiwanese boat and the CGA Maritime search and rescue operations do not have borders, and China should not use a shipwreck to infringe upon Taiwanese sovereignty, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The coast guard made the statement in response to the China Coast Guard (CCG) saying it saved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Chuan Yu No. 6 (全漁6號), a fishing vessel registered in Keelung, on Thursday caught fire and sank in waters northeast of Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The vessel left Keelung’s Badouzih Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at 3:35pm on Sunday last week, with seven people on board — a 62-year-old Taiwanese captain surnamed Chang (張) and six
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halved from a peak of 430,000 in 2012 to an estimated 231,000 in 2024. That marked a new low in the proportion of Taiwanese going abroad to work. The ministry’s annual survey on “Labor Life and Employment Status” includes questions respondents’ willingness to seek employment overseas. Willingness to work in China has steadily declined from
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
INFLATION UP? The IMF said CPI would increase to 1.5 percent this year, while the DGBAS projected it would rise to 1.68 percent, with GDP per capita of US$44,181 The IMF projected Taiwan’s real GDP would grow 5.2 percent this year, up from its 2.1 percent outlook in January, despite fears of global economic disruptions sparked by the US-Iran conflict. Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) is projected to increase to 1.5 percent, while unemployment would be 3.4 percent, roughly in line with estimates for Asia as a whole, the international body wrote in its Global Economic Outlook Report published in the US on Monday. The figures are comparatively better than the IMF outlook for the rest of the world, which pegged real GDP growth at 3.1 percent, down from 3.3 percent
RSS