Dear editors,

I would like to express my gratitude for Kelly Sloan’s column, “Why Colorado should care about Taiwan” from Dec. 8, and add a few more points.

I have just returned from Kansas City, Missouri, where I led an event on Dec. 14 entitled “Doing Business with Taiwan” hosted by the World Trade Center – Kansas City and the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. There I highlighted not only Taiwan’s close and growing trade relationship with Missouri, Kansas and the other states that our Denver office covers – especially in the agricultural and high-tech sectors – but the importance of Taiwan’s inclusion in regional and global trade agreements.

Taiwan’s position as an advanced information and communication technology manufacturing and service provider, a green energy hub, and a key link in global supply chains have rendered it a dependable and indispensable partner for the United States. As a strong and stable democracy in the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan is not only a reliable trade partner but a crucial strategic and morally in serving to help curb the expansion of authoritarian influence in the region.

The Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st Century Trade announced earlier this year is a great first step in formalizing these important relationships. Inclusion of Taiwan in other global and regional trade agreements such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework will be highly beneficial to the continued security and prosperity of both our countries, as well as the wider Indo-Pacific region, going forward.

Bill Huang

Director General, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Denver

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