The new office will be part of the ACA and will serve as a platform to increase economic partnerships and foreign direct investment, Gov. Katie Hobbs announced. It will be led by Leland Lai, who previously worked as a market entry and strategy consultant and was the managing director in Asia for the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association.
The state has a long history with the capital of Taiwan, which has been a sister city with Phoenix dating back 44 years and has been vying to become one of the main semiconductor hubs in the U.S. given its long history in the industry. Hobbs said in a statement that Arizona wants to grow its partnership with Taipei and strengthen its collaboration in technology, manufacturing, research, and development.