TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs will depart for East Asia on Friday (Sept. 15), where she will visit Taiwan and South Korea to further international trade relations and political ties.

The eight-day trip is intended to bring further investment to Arizona, with a focus on advanced manufacturing and clean energy, reported AZ Central. Hobbs will be accompanied by Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) President Sandra Watson, although further trip details have not been released.

Hobbs’ visit to Taiwan comes as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is overseeing the construction of a new chip manufacturing plant near Phoenix. Despite some recent setbacks and obstacles, the plant is making fast progress, according to recent reports.

The TSMC plant, a project that is expected to see US$40 billion (NT$1.27 trillion) in investment for Arizona, is expected to produce 600,000 semiconductor wafers per year and provide for nearly 10,000 local jobs, once it is running at full capacity. Furthermore, the project is considered an integral part of the U.S.’s efforts to nearshore critical chip manufacturing over the next decade.

During her visit to Taipei, Hobbs is expected to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Cabinet officials, as well as tour several major businesses to discuss investment and partnership opportunities. The Arizona governor previously visited Taiwan in 2016 when she was a state senator.

To highlight the robust relationship between Arizona and Taiwan, Taiwan exported over US$2.5 billion (NT$79 billion) in products to Arizona in 2022, while Arizona exports to Taiwan totaled nearly $765 million (NT$24 billion), reported AZ Central. In April 2023, the Arizona legislature unanimously passed a pro-Taiwan resolution, calling for Taiwan’s increased participation in international organizations.

Former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey also made a visit to Taipei in August 2022. Under his administration, the Arizona legislature voted to establish a permanent trade office in Taipei, which was officially opened in March 2023 under Hobbs.

The Arizona trade office, located in Taipei’s Xinyi District, makes Arizona one of 14 U.S. states to maintain permanent trade representative offices in Taiwan.