Taiwan foreign minister visits Arizona, to tour TSMC plant after US-China summit
In short
Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung arrived in Phoenix, Arizona, on the afternoon of Oct. 3 local time and is set to attend the opening of Taiwan's office there and tour TSMC's Arizona semiconductor plant with a business delegation, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency. The trip follows a US-China summit on the 24th of last month, where Chinese President Xi Jinping publicly asked President Donald Trump to state opposition to Taiwan independence. AIT executive director Ingrid Larson will travel from Washington to accompany Lin in Arizona, the reports said.
Read the full story 2 min read
Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung arrived in Phoenix, Arizona, on the afternoon of Oct. 3 US local time, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported, citing sources. During the visit he is scheduled to attend the unveiling of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Phoenix — the office that functions as Taiwan's consulate there — and to tour TSMC's semiconductor plant in Arizona together with a corporate inspection delegation. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
At the TSMC plant, Lin is expected to meet companies investing in the United States and to learn about their practical demands, sources said. Ingrid Larson, executive director of the American Institute in Taiwan, which functions as the US embassy in Taiwan, will travel from Washington, D.C., to Arizona to accompany him. A source cited in the reports described this as “showing the importance both sides attach to deepening local and industrial exchanges.” [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The trip follows a US-China summit on the 24th of last month. There, according to the reports, Chinese President Xi Jinping publicly asked President Donald Trump to state that the United States opposes Taiwan independence. China has pushed Washington to go beyond its previous position of “not supporting” Taiwan independence and to say explicitly that it “opposes” it. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
After that summit, Lin toured Belize and Guatemala, two of Taiwan's diplomatic allies in Latin America, and flew to the United States immediately after finishing that itinerary. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The Korean reports differ slightly in wording: Yonhap and Asia Economy said the Central News Agency reported on Oct. 3 that Lin was due to arrive in Phoenix that afternoon, while Seoul Economic Daily wrote that he had arrived. The documents give no date for the TSMC plant visit and quote no US or Taiwanese government statement on the trip; all three reports trace the account to Taiwan's Central News Agency and unnamed sources. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The itinerary puts Taiwan's top diplomat in the United States immediately after Beijing pressed Washington to shift its wording on Taiwan independence, making the visit a test of how far US-Taiwan exchanges proceed despite that pressure. The TSMC stop ties the trip to semiconductor investment that sources in the reports describe as a shared industrial interest, and the AIT director's travel from Washington is presented as a sign of how much the US side emphasises local and industrial exchanges. The documents do not say how Beijing or Washington has responded to the visit.
Key facts
- Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung is visiting the United States, arriving in Phoenix, Arizona, on the afternoon of Oct. 3 US local time, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He is scheduled to attend the unveiling of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Phoenix, which functions as Taiwan's consulate there, and to visit TSMC's Arizona semiconductor plant with a business delegation. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- At the TSMC plant he is expected to meet companies investing in the United States and to learn about their practical demands, sources said. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Ingrid Larson, executive director of the American Institute in Taiwan, will travel from Washington, D.C., to Arizona to accompany him. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The visit follows a US-China summit on the 24th of last month, where Chinese President Xi Jinping publicly asked President Donald Trump to oppose Taiwan independence, the reports said. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Lin toured Belize and Guatemala, Taiwan's diplomatic allies in Latin America, after that summit and then flew to the United States. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Taiwan's foreign minister Lin Chia-lung is making a US visit that includes Phoenix, Arizona. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The itinerary includes the unveiling of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Phoenix and a visit to TSMC's Arizona plant with a business delegation. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- AIT executive director Ingrid Larson will accompany him in Arizona. [ 1 , 2 ]
- China has pressed the United States to state opposition to Taiwan independence, and Xi Jinping made that request publicly to Trump at the summit on the 24th of last month. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Lin visited Belize and Guatemala after the summit before travelling to the United States. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- When the TSMC plant visit takes place, and whether it has already happened The documents say only that the plant tour is planned during the visit and give no date or time for it.
- Whether the US or Taiwan governments have confirmed the trip All three reports rely on Taiwan's Central News Agency citing unnamed sources; no official statement is quoted.
- How China has reacted to Lin's US visit The documents describe earlier Chinese pressure on Washington over Taiwan wording but say nothing about a response to this trip.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Lin Chia-lung arrives in Phoenix, Arizona, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency, citing sources. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Yonhap publishes its report on the Taiwan foreign minister's US visit and planned TSMC plant tour. [ 1 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily publishes its report, describing the trip as drawing attention for coming immediately after the US-China summit. [ 2 ]
- Asia Economy publishes its report on the visit and the planned TSMC stop. [ 3 ]