TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. government officials from Virginia attended the official opening of its trade office in Taiwan on Tuesday (Sept. 19).
Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick announced the opening of the Virginia-Taiwan Trade Office on Tuesday. She said the team is ready to showcase the commonwealth's advantage to prospective investors and businesses as well as strengthen economic and international trade ties among businesses in Virginia and Taiwan.
Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick (middle) and her team toast to celebrate the opening of the trade office in Taiwan. (Taiwan News, Keira Chang photo)
Virginia is determined to plant its flag in Asia, as 75% of its overseas offices are located in the region. Merrick said that this fact signals the importance of Asia to the economy of Virginia, the U.S., and globally.
"We have plans and places to work more collaboratively with the industries we share — semiconductors, aerospace, defense, cybersecurity, and more," Merrick said. She also said that Virginia and Taiwan share similar visions and fundamental principles of freedom and a free economy.
Virginia is known for its defense and aerospace industries, and it serves as a major U.S. military base. The U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference 2023, to be held in Williamsburg, Virginia in October, shows that Virginia and its new office in Taiwan can play an important role in the growing military cooperation.
Merrick said that the state is proud to have four out of the five largest aerospace companies headquartered in Virginia. The establishment of the Virginia-Taiwan Trade Office can only benefit the relationships that already existed between Taiwan and Virginia and between those companies and Taiwan, she said.
Merrick acknowledged the censorship from China that some American companies from the defense and aerospace industries might face when cooperating with Taiwan. "We will continue to advance economic freedom, and we will fight for economic freedom in Virginia because that's what we believe in," she said.
This April, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin also visited Taiwan. He approved plans to set up its fourth international trade office in the country and signed a Taiwan-Virginia memorandum of understanding (MOU) on economic and trade cooperation.