A Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official on Thursday hailed the opening of three new offices in Taiwan this year from the U.S. states of Minnesota, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, saying that this demonstrated closer Taiwan-U.S. bonds.

Speaking during the annual appreciation reception of the American State Offices Association (ASOA) in Taipei, Douglas Hsu (???), head of MOFA’s North American Affairs, said the addition of the three new offices meant that a total of 12 American states and one territory had now opened representative offices in Taiwan.

Also this year, the governors of the states of Indiana, Arizona and Idaho have visited Taiwan, according to Hsu.

This shows that the “breadth and depth” of Taiwan-U.S. collaboration have continued to expand this year, he said.

Clint Brewer, acting commercial section chief of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), said during the same reception that both sides had continued to maintain close trade and economic ties over the past year.

In 2021, the total value of U.S. agricultural and related products exported to Taiwan was US$3.94 billion, an increase of 18 percent compared to the previous year.

This means that Taiwan was the sixth-largest market for U.S. agricultural exports in 2021, he said.

He said the AIT was working even harder to bring more U.S. states to Taiwan as more Taiwanese companies are eager to invest in America.

The AIT represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.

The ASOA was formed in 1983 to facilitate and strengthen bilateral ties between the U.S. and Taiwan. It works to coordinate, co-organize, and support trade, investment, education and tourism-related activities, according to the ASOA’s website.

Aside from the three new state offices, the other 10 existing U.S. state and territory offices in Taiwan are operated by the states of Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wyoming as well as Guam, which is an unincorporated U.S. territory.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel