Taiwanese dignitaries see success of Taiwan companies at downtown Phoenix site
Jean Yang, chair of Huijia Health and host of the Taiwan AI Smart Health Showcase Center Project, leads a tour on Monday, June 22, at the Taiwan AI Smart Health Showcase Center at the downtown Phoenix Bioscience Core. The Taiwanese President of the Legislative Yuan Han Kuo-yu and around 25 Taiwanese delegates visited the center and ASU's 850 PBC building in downtown Phoenix to learn more about Taiwanese businesses investing in Arizona. Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU News
A group of dignitaries from Taiwan visited Phoenix on Monday to see firsthand how companies from their country are locating to Arizona to gain a foothold in the U.S. market.
The group, led by Han Kuo-yu, president of the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan’s parliament, saw a showcase of several Taiwanese health care companies at Arizona State University’s 850 PBC building in downtown Phoenix before moving on to see the massive TSMC development in North Phoenix.
“Before we came, we didn't know why TSMC chose Arizona, and why not Hawaii?” Han said to a roomful of laughter.
“After we arrived yesterday, we finally understand the reasons why. Arizona has huge land, sufficient water and electricity, and also collaboration between the university, government, academia and industry.”
Han, whose position is roughly equivalent to the Speaker of the House in the U.S., brought a delegation of about two dozen legislators, officials and journalists from Taiwan.
At 850 PBC, the group visited the Taiwan AI Smart Health Showcase Center, launched last fall with 12 Taiwan-based companies as a way to accelerate health care and biomedical collaboration between the U.S. and Taiwan.
The showcase is part of an agreement signed last year by ASU, the Arizona Commerce Authority, the city of Phoenix and the Taiwan Digital Health Industry Development Association to promote Taiwanese companies in the U.S. and global markets with Arizona as a hub.
ASU is partnering with semiconductor giant TSMC on several initiatives, including research and workforce development.
Arizona and Taiwan have had a decades-long relationship, said Kesha Hodge Washington, vice mayor of the city of Phoenix, in remarks to the visitors.
“While much of our recent collaboration has focused on semiconductors and advanced manufacturing, especially TSMC, we see tremendous opportunity to deepen our relationship in bioscience, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and health care innovation,” she said.
“What excites us most is that our path, our partnership, is built on more than economics. It is built on shared values, investing in talent, supporting scientific discovery and improving quality of life for future generations. We welcome Taiwan's bioscience and pharmaceutical leaders to explore Phoenix as a gateway to the U.S. market and as a long-term partner in innovation.”
Sherine Gabriel, executive vice president of ASU Health, told the group that ASU Health is a pan-university effort that connects across the university rather than within a single school or discipline
“We believe that improving health outcomes requires a coordinated effort across multiple disciplines, institutions and sectors, powered by innovation, together with our strategic partners, and guided by a singular goal: improving health,” she said.
“The work represented by this visit — and by the Taiwan AI Smart Health Showcase Center — reflects the kind of collaboration needed to address complex health challenges and advance new solutions.”
Agnese Sturmane, vice president for international trade and investment at the Arizona Commerce Authority, noted that Taiwan is now Arizona’s second-largest trading partner, with $21 billion in total trade that’s expanding into health care, AI and research.
“This Taiwan AI Smart Health Showcase Center is a shining example. It demonstrates how our combined strength, Taiwan's world-class innovation ecosystem and Arizona's leading research universities, clinical networks and entrepreneurial environment can accelerate breakthroughs in smart diagnostics, patient-centered care and collaborative clinical trials,” she said.
“We're committed to making Arizona a place where these companies can thrive.”
Han, who spoke through an interpreter, said he believes more Taiwanese companies will locate in Phoenix.
“After we return to Taiwan, we'll have more Taiwanese know ‘why Arizona?’”
More Science and technology
What the origins of stone sculptures can tell us about an ancient Andean civilization
By studying ancient statues in South America, a group of researchers from Arizona State University have gleaned further insights into the cosmological and political power of an ancient civilization.…
How smarter water management can reduce arsenic in rice
Rice is a staple food for more than half of the world's population. But unlike other major grains, it naturally absorbs arsenic — a known carcinogen — because of the unique way it is grown.For years…
ASU scientists unveil new methods to extract reliable truth from imperfect data
Scientists at Arizona State University are advancing how they interpret complex, imperfect data — challenging long-standing assumptions in fields ranging from imaging to cellular biology. In two…