Visiting Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the opening of a state trade office in Taipei at a press conference on Monday. Abbott, underscoring the importance of the Taiwan office, said it is the second foreign office Texas has opened in the 21st century after Mexico, and that Texas stands with Taiwan.
The announcement was made after he signed an Economic Development Statement of Intent with Economic Minister Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) at the same event. Abbott said the deal aims to deepen economic exchanges, promote bilateral trade and employment, and promote collaboration in semiconductors and energy resilience.
The governor highlighted that Texas’ economy surpasses countries such as Australia, Canada, Italy, and Russia on an economic scale. He attributed this success to favorable tax policies and business regulations. He emphasized the critical importance of Taiwan's development to the world and looks forward to deepening economic cooperation between Taiwan and the United States.
Kuo noted that Texas is the largest state in the U.S. by area and second-largest by population. He pointed out that Taiwan is the fifth-largest import source and export market for Texas in Asia as of 2023, with bilateral trade reaching US$21.15 billion that same year. Many Taiwanese companies, including TSMC, Formosa Plastics, Nanya Technology, and CPC Corporation, already have operations in Texas. He said that the ministry together with the Texan state government will work on expanding bilateral investments and trade and building a resilient and high-quality supply chain ecosystem.