This July, Governor Gregg Abbott opened the State of Texas Taiwan Office in Taipei, becoming the 23rd US state to have an official office in Taiwan.
Operating under the Texas’ Economic Development and Tourism Office, the State of Texas Taiwan Office was officially opened by Texas Governor Gregg Abbott during his visit to Taiwan on July 7th to celebrate and strengthen the business and economic ties between Texas and Taiwan. Abbott was joined by an official delegation, including Secretary of State Jane Nelson and Taiwanese-born state representative Angie Chen Button. They were welcomed by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and Taiwan Minister of Economic Affairs Jyh-Huei Kuo.
On the Texan side, Representative Button, who immigrated to the US from Taiwan in the late 1970s and has been leading Texas-East Asia outreaches was especially thrilled by the visit, stating during the celebration that this strong relationship between Texas and Taiwan “has been [her] dream.” President Lai also posted on X that he was, “excited to strengthen the Taiwan-Texas friendship and create opportunities.”
In addition to reaffirming ties through speeches, Governor Abbott and Minister Kuo signed an Economic Development Statement of Intent between Texas and the Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs aimed at fostering stronger economic ties between the two. This agreement is intended to recognize the strong economic ties between the two entities while encouraging more investment, trade, and collaboration in key industries for the future.
With missions to attract foreign direct investment and job creation into Texas and increase Texas exports into Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific countries, the office stands as a physical representation of strengthening Texas-Taiwan relations.
Texas-Taiwan Ties
Texas and Taiwan stand as strong trade partners. As of 2023, Taiwan is Texas’ seventh largest trading partner with a total trade of $21.3 billion with key industries such as semiconductors and petrochemical industries. According to the State of Texas Taiwan Office, over the past 10 years, Texas has attracted $10.5 billion in investment from Taiwan-based companies which has in turn created more than 2500 new jobs. This close economic relationship was further exemplified during this trip when Governor Abbott met with the CEO of GlobalWafers and Sino-American Silicon Products, Doris Hsu to recognize the fact that Texas is the United States’ top exporter of semiconductors and electronic components for the last 13 years and recognize the $5 billion silicon wafer manufacturing facility in Sherman, Texas established by the company.
Texas and Taiwan have also built political ties beyond economics. In May 2023, Governor Abbott signed the resolution “Expressing support for the strengthening of our partnership with Taiwan and for the expansion of Taiwan's role on the global stage” reaffirming the partnership between the state and the Taiwanese people.
Fostering Democratic Ties with Taiwan
As Governor Abbott signed the letter of intent with Taiwan, he stressed the importance of a strong Taiwan, following a pattern of states establishing independent ties with the island. As the 23rd state to open an official office in Taiwan, Texas follows states like North Carolina, Arizona, and Virginia in establishing local connections which are often followed by “a flurry of other interactions, including a growing number of delegations of state government officials to Taiwan”, as noted by the Global Taiwan Institute. Understanding that the US federal government is limited in interacting with Taiwan in official capacities through documents like the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Communiqués, and the Six Assurances, the state-to-Taiwan relations and visits, from economic to cultural, can provide unofficial diplomatic ties for Taiwan.
As one of the major democratic influences in Asia and home to key industries such as semiconductors, Taiwan’s relations with US states seem to be tacitly allowed by Congress–or at least not discouraged through oversight. As Governor Abbott noted during the opening ceremony, it’s crucial to acknowledge the “importance of a strong Taiwan for the future of the entire globe” as its existence on the global stage is “so important for world peace and for democracy.”
If precedent of better relations from states such as Hawaii, Florida, and Washington hold true, we can expect to see more frequent economic, cultural, and people-to-people interactions between the entities in the future.
Jiwon Lim is a Summer 2024 Young Professional at the East-West Center in Washington. She is a rising first year at Johns Hopkins SAIS pursuing an MA in International Relations with a functional focus in Security, Strategy, and Statecraft and a regional focus in Asia.