About 7,000 people on Saturday evening attended a Double Ten National Day event at Arizona State University (ASU) in Phoenix.
The free event offered Taiwanese delicacies, a night market with craft vendors, children's activities and live performances.
Phoenix and Taipei have been sister cities for 46 years.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles
About 30,000 Taiwanese live in the US city, which is also home to more than 40 Taiwanese companies and more than 500 Taiwanese students.
The celebration was organized in partnership with Phoenix Sister Cities and Taipei Sister Cities, as well as Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and Vice Mayor Ann O’Brien.
The highlight of the event was a drone show sponsored by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), with 150 colored drones lighting up the sky to form the Taiwan flag, the Chinese characters for Taiwan, and motifs including Taipei 101 and a Formosan black bear, staged to the song Far Away (千里之外) by Jay Chou (周杰倫) featuring Fei Yu-ching (費玉清).
Phoenix has hosted Double Ten National Day celebrations at ASU for the past four years.
More than 1,000 TSMC employees and their families were in attendance.
Gallego spoke of the strong bond between Phoenix and Taiwan, saying she hopes that through the celebration, “our friends from Taiwan will feel at home, and that those who are only just learning about Taiwan feel as moved as I do.”
China Airlines and Starlux this year announced direct flights between Phoenix and Taipei, the city’s first non-stop route to Asia, she said.
From bubble tea shops to soup dumplings, and from healthcare to the semiconductor industry, the relationship between the two cities boosts the local economy and makes Phoenix stronger, she added.
“I proudly stand with the people of Taiwan. Tonight is about friendship, community and cultural exchange,” O’Brien said.
Taiwan’s story is one of resilience and innovation, as Taiwan currently ranks as the sixth most-competitive nation worldwide, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles political section head Fang Chung-yu (方崇宇) said.
This showcases Taiwan’s strength despite global supply chain issues and mounting geopolitical pressure, Fang added.
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