Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Friday that it will open a representative office in Phoenix, Arizona, as part of efforts to strengthen exchanges with the United States in economics, technology, education and supply-chain cooperation. The ministry said the new outpost is intended to deepen ties between Taiwan and local partners in the U.S. Southwest, reflecting expanding business and industrial links that have grown in recent years.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emblem and flags inside its Taipei headquarters; MOFA announced plans to open a representative office in Phoenix to strengthen economic, technology and supply-chain ties.
In its announcement, the ministry highlighted Phoenix's emergence as an increasingly important technology hub as Taiwanese semiconductor investment in the city has expanded. That growth, the ministry said, has encouraged a rising presence of Taiwanese companies and suppliers in the area, aligning with broader industrial activity connecting Taiwan and the United States in high-technology sectors.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), identified by the ministry as a key factor in the region's industrial expansion, has established an Arizona campus that drew more Taiwanese suppliers to set up local operations. The ministry noted TSMC's first fabrication plant in Arizona began mass production in the fourth quarter of 2024. Construction on a second fabrication plant has been completed and production there is expected to begin in the second half of 2027, while a third fabrication plant is currently under construction.
The ministry also pointed to institutional cooperation between Taiwan and Phoenix earlier this year, noting that a memorandum of understanding was signed to cultivate high-tech talent and deepen collaboration in industries driven by artificial intelligence. That agreement, the ministry said, is part of broader efforts to link educational and workforce development initiatives with private-sector investment and technology transfer.
Officials in Taipei did not provide a specific timeline for when the new Phoenix representative office will open. When established, the ministry said the Phoenix office will become Taiwan's 14th representative office in the United States, joining existing posts in Washington, D.C., New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Chicago, Honolulu, Denver, Miami and Guam.
The announcement drew a response from the American Institute in Taiwan, which described the expansion as evidence of a strengthened partnership between the United States and Taiwan. In a post on Facebook, the institute said the addition of a Phoenix office underscores the ‘‘strength, depth, and enduring vitality’’ of U.S.-Taiwan relations, and it characterized Arizona as an active center of Taiwan’s high-tech presence in the United States.
The institute added that Arizona has attracted an increasing constellation of supply-chain companies linked to Taiwanese investment, and that these developments have cemented cooperation in semiconductors and advanced technology. Those comments followed the ministry's statement and reiterated the link between growing industrial activity in Arizona and the decision to open a Taiwanese representative office there.
The ministry's release framed the new office as a response to economic and technological linkages already in motion between Taiwan and Phoenix, particularly in semiconductor manufacturing and related supply chains. Beyond the industrial footprint, the ministry emphasized the role of educational and talent development agreements in supporting the broader agenda of economic and technological exchange between the two economies. No further logistical details or staffing plans for the Phoenix office were announced at the time of the ministry's statement.
A Taiwan Trade and Investment Service Center opened in Phoenix in May 2026 to advance supply chain cooperation, according to Taiwan Today. This follows reports from the Taipei Times in January that MOFA was already planning the representative office amid growing semiconductor ties and visits by Phoenix officials.
MOFA released its statement on July 3, 2026, announcing the plan to establish the Phoenix office.
In a March 4, 2025 press release, TSMC said it intends to expand its U.S. investment to a total of US$165 billion, adding three new fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities and a major R&D center on top of the roughly $65 billion already committed in Arizona.
TSMC was awarded about $6.6 billion in direct funding under the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act to support its Arizona fabrication projects.
In mid-January 2026, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego led a delegation to Taiwan and met with Taiwanese officials — a visit MOFA described as helping to deepen city-level cooperation on high-tech and supply-chain issues.