TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego thanked Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. for its investment in Arizona and said she hopes to deepen cooperation with Taiwan in the aerospace, drone, and biotechnology industries.
President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) received Gallego and her delegation at the Presidential Office, thanking her for visiting Taiwan three times since 2019, per CNA. Lai added that Gallego attended an overseas Taiwanese community event during his transit as vice president through San Francisco in 2023, demonstrating her support for and friendship with Taiwan through concrete actions.
Gallego said TSMC’s investment has created a win-win outcome for both the company and Phoenix. She said the investment has already begun to generate profits and has enabled many young people in Phoenix to purchase homes.
She also thanked Starlux Airlines for joining China Airlines in offering direct flights between Taipei and Phoenix. Beyond semiconductor cooperation, Gallego said Arizona’s favorable weather makes it well-suited for flight training.
The mayor pointed out that Taiwan has conducted military aircraft training in Arizona for decades. She said she hopes the two sides can further expand cooperation in the aerospace sector.
Gallego said Phoenix aims to become a leader in aviation and was the first city in the US to use drones for package delivery. Citing Taiwan’s extensive experience in this field, she said she looks forward to closer collaboration.
She added that cooperation in the medical and biotechnology sectors has also been highly successful, particularly in joint efforts to combat cancer. Gallego said these initiatives have created many jobs in Taiwan and represent another win-win situation.
Highlighting people-to-people exchanges, Gallego cited a friendly youth baseball exhibition on Sunday in which a team from Tainan defeated the Phoenix Arcadia U12 team by a wide margin. She joked that the Arizona Diamondbacks should keep Tainan’s young players in mind when recruiting Taiwanese talent.
