On May 15, Minister of Economic Affairs Jyh-Huei Kuo attended the grand opening ceremony of GlobalWafers’ new plant in Sherman, Texas. Then he traveled to Houston to visit Foxconn’s server plant and hosted business roundtables with Houston-based Taiwanese business leaders.
Minister Kuo wanted to gain a better understanding of Taiwan's outbound investment in Texas, explore areas where the Ministry’s support may be needed, and listen to the business leaders’ viewpoints on enhancing U.S.-Taiwan economic and trade relations.
On the following day, Minister Kuo went to Austin, Texas where he met with Governor Greg Abbott and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows. State Representative Angie Chen Button had also invited Mr. Kuo to attend a session of the Texas House of Representatives, where Speaker Burrows formally recognized his contributions to strengthening economic and trade ties between Taiwan and Texas.
Last July, Minister Kuo signed the Taiwan-Texas Economic Development Statement of Intent (EDSI) with Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The agreement aims to enhance collaboration in fields such as semiconductors, electric vehicles, energy resilience, and innovative technologies. Minister Kuo paid a return visit to Governor Abbott focused on implementing this EDSI and further promoting investment and economic partnership between both sides.
During the meeting, Governor Abbott highlighted Texas’s business-friendly environment, including low tax rates, reasonable investment regulations, a high-quality workforce, and comprehensive vocational training programs.
On the other hand, the Taiwan Minister provided updates on Taiwan's outbound investment in Texas and MOEA plans to set up an investment and trade center in Texas later this year. They also exchanged views on how to develop a more resilient Taiwan–Texas supply chain partnership through establishing a science and industry park and strengthening cooperation in semiconductors and AI areas.
In 2024, Taiwan was Texas’s fourth-largest import source, with a total trade volume of $25.58 billion—a 19.91% year-over-year growth.