Hobbs opens Taiwan's 14th US office in Phoenix over two written objections from China's consulate

Arizona's choice follows where its foreign capital and its newest residents come from ^[7][9]. TSMC's commitment in the city stood at $165 billion before its latest pledge ^[11]. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said the city is seeing a sort of "baby boom" in its Taiwanese communities, and several labor and delivery rooms have launched Mandarin language programs ^[9].

Hobbs pitched the opening to Arizona politicians as much as to Beijing ^[5]. "Every Arizona elected official should show the courage necessary to support the partnership between Arizona and Taiwan," Hobbs said. "As our economic partnership grows, we are mobilizing every available resource to support Taiwanese companies expanding here in Arizona." ^[5] Her office also made the dispute public by sharing the consulate's letters with The Associated Press ^[3]. Phoenix radio station KJZZ reported the letters first ^[10].

Beijing's side of the dispute is on paper ^[4][6]. The consulate's two letters went out seven weeks apart ^[12]. On the day of the opening, Liu Chang, a spokesperson for China's Embassy in the US, said: "China firmly opposes official interactions of any form between China's Taiwan region and the U.S., including its federal and state governments." ^[6] Beyond the letters and that statement, the AP report describes no step taken against Arizona or against companies operating there ^[3][6].

A skeptic would say a cultural office is a small thing and that a consulate's letters cost little to send. The record so far supports that view, since Beijing objected twice in writing and the office opened anyway ^[1][3]. The weaker claim is the general one. The evidence covers one state, and it is the state that hosts the TSMC commitment ^[7]. A governor with a smaller Taiwanese stake would weigh the same letters against different local interests, and I would not assume other states would answer as Hobbs did ^[1].

Operators have two time frames to keep apart. This quarter, the response Arizona's choice has drawn is two letters and an embassy statement ^[4][6]. Over the life of a factory investment, the cost depends on whether Beijing moves from objecting to state-level ties with Taiwan to penalising them. Companies committing capital in Phoenix now will carry whichever answer arrives.