Visiting Texas Governor Greg Abbott yesterday announced the opening of a state trade office in downtown Taipei to enhance cooperation and show that “Texas stands with Taiwan.”
The State of Texas Taiwan Office is the second foreign office Texas has opened in the 21st century after Mexico, Abbott told a news conference in Taipei.
“It shows that other than our geographic neighbor, Texas understands the importance of establishing an office in the country of Taiwan,” he said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
“It is incredibly important that Texas shows solidarity with Taiwan, not just for the businesses of Taiwan and Texas — it is important for the entire world to know Texas stands with Taiwan,” Abbott said.
“Because of the size of the Texas economy, it [the office] will be a beacon across the entire globe about a state and a country showing the importance of the relationship between Texas and Taiwan,” he said.
“Knowing that the stronger Taiwan is economically, the more it will be able to indefinitely chart its own future is very important for the future of the entire world,” he added.
Photo: CNA
Abbott made the announcement after signing an Economic Development Statement of Intent with Taiwan Minister of Economic Affairs Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) to boost economic ties at the same event.
In a speech before signing the statement of intent, Kou said that under the deal, Taiwan would continue to expand trade and investment in Texas to help Taiwanese businesses establish a solid foothold overseas and boost supply chain resilience.
Abbott said the deal would further bolster economic bonds between Texas and Taiwan, expand trade and job creation and promote collaboration in semiconductors and energy resilience.
Earlier yesterday, Abbott met with President William Lai (賴清德) in the Presidential Office in Taipei.
Lai said that Abbott was one of the first US leaders to issue a congratulatory message to him after his presidential election victory in January.
Many Taiwanese enterprises have for decades invested in Texas, with total investment exceeding US$12 billion, Lai said.
His administration is promoting Taiwan’s five trusted industry sectors — semiconductors, artificial intelligence, the military, security and surveillance, and next-generation communications — which would result in closer links with industrial clusters in Texas, Lai said.
The Texas office is expected to become a firm pillar of friendship between Taiwan, Texas and the US, making the Taiwan-US partnership even stronger, Lai added.
Abbott’s economic development delegation arrived in Taiwan on Saturday.
The visit is part of a larger trip to the Indo-Pacific region that also includes South Korea and Japan, during which the governor would meet with “businesses and government leaders to drive forward progress in industries critical to the future of the global economy,” the state government said in a news release.
The delegation is scheduled to return to the US on Saturday.
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