TAIPEI The governor of the U.S. state of Arizona said that TSMC is making “great” progress building its new facility there. He also praised Arizona for helping to train Taiwanese jet pilots.
The world’s largest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC), is building a $12 billion factory in Arizona. TSMC is a big supplier to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), which is why it is building the factory.
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Doug Ducey spoke at an investment conference in Taipei while he was there. He talked about how he met with TSMC’s leaders in 2017 and then told them about the investment in 2020.
“A little more than two years later, TSMC has finished building on its main plant and continues to make outstanding progress,” he added, adding that viewing the construction site was “much more amazing in person.”
“On top of TSMC’s unprecedented commitment, about two dozen Taiwanese suppliers are looking at Arizona as a place to invest,” Ducey said.
Furthermore, he noted that the relationship between Arizona and Taiwan dates back decades.
“Taiwanese pilots of F-16 fighter planes have trained at the Luke Air Force Facility in west Phoenix for over 25 years. “We are very proud of Arizona’s contribution to Taiwan’s defence and people’s safety.”
Ducey is the most recent U.S. official to go to China, even though China has asked U.S. officials not to go there.
China says that Taiwan is part of its territory, even though Taiwan’s democratically elected government doesn’t agree.
During his three-day tour, Republican Governor Ducey will meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and semiconductor sector companies.
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Since a group led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan at the beginning of this month, which enraged China, Taiwan has received a series of American leaders.
Beijing responded to Pelosi’s visit by conducting military exercises near the island, which included the first-ever firing of ballistic missiles over Taipei, and by severing certain lines of communication with Washington.