TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Economics Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) presided over the opening of the Taiwan Trade and Investment Service Center in Phoenix on Friday, marking Taiwan’s second such office in the US.
The ministry said the new center follows an earlier office established in Dallas and will work in tandem with it to assist Taiwanese businesses seeking to expand into the US market, including by setting up local manufacturing operations, per CNA.
Kung later visited TSMC’s advanced wafer fab in Arizona, where he said he hoped the office would support Taiwanese firms in building a more resilient global supply chain. He added that his delegation chose Phoenix as its first stop ahead of attending the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, DC.
According to Kung, the trip has multiple objectives, including meetings with senior state and municipal officials in Phoenix, establishing a platform to facilitate overseas investment, and addressing the needs of Taiwanese companies developing industrial clusters in the US.
In a video message, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said Taiwan and Arizona have built a strong relationship based on friendship, mutual support, and a shared commitment to innovation. She said continued collaboration would advance next-generation technologies and strengthen the resilience of global supply chains.
During his visit to TSMC’s Arizona facility, Kung said he was encouraged by the plant’s smooth operations and profitability. He noted that the project not only extends Taiwan’s industrial strengths to the US but also creates high-paying jobs locally, demonstrating how mutual trust in the supply chain can generate new business opportunities.
Kung added that since TSMC began investing in Phoenix, upstream and downstream supply chain companies have followed suit, expanding their presence in the US. He said the visit aims to provide Taiwanese businesses with firsthand insights into local infrastructure and investment conditions, helping to build a more resilient multinational supply chain through public-private partnerships, per CNA.
The ministry said Arizona was Taiwan’s third-largest trading partner in the US in 2025, with bilateral trade reaching NT$671.81 billion (US$21.24 billion). Taiwan was also Arizona’s largest source of imports and its second-largest export market.
