Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy is visiting Taiwan for the first time since he took office in 2018 and would be meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) and other high-level officials to discuss enhancing bilateral trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.
Dunleavy, who arrived on Wednesday in Taiwan on a three-day visit, has already met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), the ministry said in a news release.
The Republican governor and his delegation are also scheduled to meet with Lai, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), and attend a banquet hosted by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Chen Ming-chi (陳明祺), the ministry said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The main purpose of the delegation’s visit is to explore further cooperation between Alaska and Taiwan in the areas of trade and economics, it said.
Dunleavy and his delegation would also meet with Taiwanese business representatives during the visit, the ministry said.
The delegation was also invited by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan to attend its annual Hsieh Nien Fan (謝年飯), a major social event for the international business community, which was to be held last night, the ministry said.
Dunleavy was first elected governor of Alaska in 2018, defeating former US senator Mark Begich, and was re-elected in 2022.
Alaska has maintained a sister-state relationship with Taiwan since 1988, with a focus on economic ties in areas such as energy, agriculture, fisheries, tourism and mining, the ministry said.
Taiwan remains Alaska’s fourth-largest market in Asia, it said.
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