The governor of Arizona, Dough Ducey, arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday on a trip that is focused on securing critical chips that are the focal point of the inflamed tech rivalry between the United States and China.
Ducey is expected to meet the President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, as well as business tycoons and university representatives in the semiconductor industry during his three-day visit to the self-ruled island. He becomes the latest US politician to visit Taiwan after recent trips by the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, and some US senators.
Beijing, which considers Taiwan a province that must be forcefully reunited with China, has reacted angrily to the visits.
During his Taiwan visit, Ducey is looking to lure suppliers for a new $12bn semiconductor plant being constructed in Arizona by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (TSMC), the world’s biggest supplier of the critical chips used in almost all electronic devices.
The governor will then visit South Korea, where he will meet South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and business leaders later in the week.
“Arizona has excellent relationships with Taiwan and the Republic of Korea,” Ducey said before starting the trip. “The goal of this trade mission is to take these relationships to the next level — to strengthen them, expand them and ensure they remain mutually beneficial.”
