A group of visiting lawmakers from Arizona on Tuesday said their ongoing visit to Taiwan was meant to thank the country for putting Arizona on the map with Taiwanese chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) US$150 billion investment.
“We are grateful to the country of Taiwan as these significant economic investments have truly put us on the map,” Tony Rivero, a Republican in the Arizona House of Representatives, told the Central News Agency in an interview.
He joked that Arizona might have been among the less famous of the 50 US states 10 years ago, before this huge investment was made.
Photo: CNA
“But this investment has put us in a good position,” he added.
Rivero was referring to the investment by TSMC — the world’s largest and most advanced dedicated semiconductor manufacturer — of more than US$150 billion in Arizona.
The first TSMC Arizona fab began mass-producing 4-nanometer chips late last year. Construction on a second fab for 3-nanometer chips is nearly complete, and a groundbreaking ceremony for the third fab was held in April.
The investment not only enhanced Arizona and Taiwan’s economic ties, but also created thousands of jobs in the state, Rivero said, adding that with the increasing demand, Arizona’s capital, Phoenix, and Taiwan would soon be opening direct flights.
“So, while the distance between both sides on paper is far, technology, communication, and the investments that are being made on both sides are going to make it much easier [for bilateral exchanges],” said Rivero, who chairs the Arizona House of Representatives’ International Trade Committee.
Two Taiwanese airlines — China Airlines and Starlux Airlines — have announced plans to launch direct flights between the two sides. China Airlines’ direct flights between Taipei and Phoenix, which officially begin on Dec. 3, would make it the first Asian airline to serve the city in the southwestern US. The flight schedule includes a stopover in Los Angeles for the return trip to Taipei.
Meanwhile, Starlux plans to begin a nonstop Taipei-Phoenix service on Jan. 15 next year.
During the interview, Rivero, who is leading a seven-member, cross-party state parliamentary delegation on the visit from Monday through tomorrow, said another goal of the trip is to expand economic opportunities and celebrate the relationship between Taiwan and the US.
The Arizona lawmaker said he plans to draft legislation in this upcoming session to create a mechanism for the legislatures of Arizona and Taiwan to set up a commission to forge ties, and look for more opportunities for cooperation in higher education and workforce development.
Another bill he would propose is to support Taiwan’s international participation — necessary because of how China “misinterprets” UN Resolution 2758, which recognized the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the UN representative in 1971, he said.
Resolution 2758 led to the PRC entering the UN and Taiwan, officially named the Republic of China, leaving the multilateral body. Since then, Taiwan has been excluded from the UN and its affiliated agencies.
Another member of the delegation, Arizona Representative Kevin Volk of the Democratic Party, used Interpol, which Taiwan is also barred from attending due to China’s objections, to make the point that Taiwan should be included in such international organizations.
“If Interpol sends out an alert and Taiwan is not participating in those communications, I think that’s hurtful to Taiwan, I think it’s hurtful to the rest of the world. It’s not only harming just the US and Arizona, but it’s an issue that hurts the entire globe,” Volk said.
Aside from Rivero and Volk, other members of delegation included Arizona Senate majority whip Frank Carroll; Tim Dunn, vice chair of Natural Resources Committee of the Arizona Senate; Lupe Diaz, chair of the Land, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee; Walt Blackman, chair of the Government Committee; and Arizona Representative Lydia Hernandez.
While in Taiwan, they are scheduled to attend events related to SEMICON Taiwan, an annual semiconductor exhibition, and meet with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, political parties across the aisle, and the Taipei City Government, which established a sister-city relationship with Phoenix in 1979.
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