Nothing says “welcome to Colorado” like Denver Broncos swag, as far as state Rep. Kathleen Conti is concerned.

She presented a Peyton Manning NFL jersey to Jack J.C. Yang, director general of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office, at Friday’s reception at the Brown Palace to celebrate TECO’s relocation from Kansas City to Denver.

Such Broncos wear is necessary “in order for you truly to understand what it is to be a Coloradan and a Denver citizen,” quipped the Republican Conti.

The mood was festive, the applause was generous and the jokes at Kansas City’s expense flowed freely, but the ceremony also served to underscore Denver’s growing influence as a national and international business and cultural hub.

“It is an honor for Taiwan to set up the new TECO in Denver, Colorado,” said Yang in his remarks to the packed crowd of several hundred. “We very much look forward to enhancing the bilateral partnership with Colorado.”

Jeff Wasden, president of the Colorado Business Roundtable, said the “buzz” surrounding Denver’s reputation as a global business center played a role in Taiwan’s decision to relocate the office from Kansas City.

The eight TECO offices in the United States do more than promote good will and investment. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed a law cutting off diplomatic ties to Taiwan as the price of normalizing relations with the People’s Republic of China, meaning that Taiwan no longer has a U.S. embassy in Washington or local consulates.

As a result, TECOs serve as unofficial diplomatic consulates as well as champions of Taiwan’s relationship with the United States. The PRC does not recognize Taiwan, where Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist Chinese government fled following the Communist revolution on the mainland in 1949.

Republicans in particular have been staunch defenders of Taiwan in its tense relationship with the far larger and more powerful PRC, which considers the island a “renegade province.”

All five Colorado elected officials who spoke at Friday’s reception were Republicans.

“Ultimately, we all know that what we celebrate and what we congratulate you on and what we enjoy today goes beyond physical location,” said Senate Majority Leader Mark Scheffel. “It’s a relationship. It’s the strong bond between our cities, our nation and our people.”

Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock sent representatives to welcome TECO to Denver. Sandi Moilanen, international division director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, read a proclamation from the governor declaring May 29 as “Colorado Taiwan Day.”

“We’re so excited to have the TECO join our business community,” said Moilanen. “It’s exciting to have another international organization here, and we can’t wait to start working on strengthening the relationships between Colorado and Taiwan.”

The governor sent another emissary: his necktie. Senate President Bill Cadman pointed to his blue tie and said Hickenlooper had insisted that he wear it to the reception.

“Not only did the governor send a proclamation, he sent this tie,” Cadman said. “I just left a meeting with the governor, and he said, ‘You can’t go there dressed like that, why don’t you dress like this?’ So he made sure I was dressed appropriately for the occasion.”

Drawing huge applause was Abdul Sesay, senior policy adviser on economic development and international trade for the Denver Office of Economic Development, who wowed the crowd by delivering a welcome message from the mayor in Mandarin.

James Ogsbury, Western Governors Association executive director, followed up by quipping, “Purely in the interest of time, I’m going to limit my remarks to English only.”

Republican Rep. Mike Coffman lauded “the strength of the Taiwanese community in Colorado” and made a point of mentioning his seat on the House Armed Services Committee, saying that he looks forward to “working with you to strengthen our relationship in terms of security cooperation.”

“Our two nations will forever stand side by side,” Coffman said.

An aide for Republican Sen. Cory Gardner read his floor statement in support of the office’s move to Denver, in which Gardner made it clear where he stands by referring to TECO as “the de facto consulate of the Republic of China, Taiwan, in the United States.”

Taiwan’s official name is the Republic of China, but the PRC and many international organizations refuse to recognize it, typically referring to the nation as either Taiwan or Chinese Taipei.

“I know our nation’s bonds with Taiwan will only grow stronger, and I am proud that Denver is now front and center in ensuring the continued friendship between our nations and our people,” Gardner’s statement said. “I am confident that our Taiwanese friends will not find more hospitable or welcoming hosts than the people of the great state of Colorado.”

The Denver office covers a six-state region encompassing Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The other seven TECO offices are in Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Seattle.

Attorney General Cynthia Coffman grew up in Missouri, but she agreed that TECO’s move out of Kansas City was the right one.

“I used to wonder why TECO had its office in Missouri when it could be in Colorado,” she said. “And I love my home state, don’t get me wrong, but the weather is better here. The people, I have to say, I think are more welcoming, because we all come from different places.”

Several speakers took note of Colorado’s unique historic connection to Taiwan: Sun Yat-sen, the first president and founder, was in Denver in 1911 at the time of the Wuchang Uprising, which ushered in the Republic of China.

Colorado Springs has a sister city relationship with Kaohsiung, Taiwan, but the location of Friday’s reception was also fitting. Sun Yat-sen stayed at the Brown Palace during his sojourn in Denver.

“We are so happy today,” said Wendy Chao, adviser for Taiwan’s Overseas Community Affairs Council. “Our dream has come true.”

— valrichardson17@gm