The Official Inaugural Launch of 

TAIWAN MATTERS FOR AMERICA /
AMERICA MATTERS FOR TAIWAN

Tuesday, September 20, 2022
3:30 – 6:30 PM EST

In person on Capitol Hill and Livestreamed

Confirmed speakers included:

Suzanne Puanani Vares-Lum, President, East-West Center 
Dr. Satu P. Limaye, Vice President, East-West Center & Director, East-West Center in Washington 
Don Shapiro, Senior Advisor, American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan 
Rep. Bi-khim Hsiao, Taiwan's Representative to the United States, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO)  
Rep. Steve Chabot (OH-1), Co-Chair, Congressional Taiwan Caucus 
Sen. Jim Inhofe (OK), Co-Chair, Senate Taiwan Caucus (Video Remarks)

Rep. Mario Rafael Diaz-Balart (FL-25), Co-Chair, Congressional Taiwan Caucus 
Randall Schriver, Chairman of the Board, Project 2049 Institute 
Rupert Hammond Chambers, President, US-Taiwan Business Council 
Dr. William Vocke, Executive Director Emeritus, Foundation for Scholarly Exchange (Fulbright Taiwan) (Virtual Remarks) 
Richard Pearson, Executive Director, Western Pacific Fellowship Project 
Russell Hsiao, Executive Director, Global Taiwan Institute 

The East-West Center, with the support of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham Taiwan) and the cooperation of the Taiwan Caucus, held the launch of the inaugural edition of Taiwan Matters for America / America Matters for Taiwan, the premier resource for data and analysis on the relationship between the United States and Taiwan relating to diplomacy, defense and security, trade and investment, education and cultural exchange, and more.

The Taiwan Matters for America / America Matters for Taiwan publication and website maps the trade, investment, employment, business, diplomacy, security, education, tourism, and people-to-people connections between the United States and Taiwan at the national, state, and local levels. The Asia Matters for America initiative is a collaborative partnership with US and Indo-Pacific government, private sector, and civil society stakeholders to recognize and advance the robust and dynamic US-Indo-Pacific relationship. Funding for this project was provided by AmCham Taiwan.

Produced by the East-West Center and AmCham Taiwan, the inaugural edition of Taiwan Matters for America / America Matters for Taiwan brings to light important facts and figures, including that: 

• The United States and Taiwan have enjoyed a robust unofficial relationship for over 40 years;
• Taiwan is consistently one of the top ten largest global trade partners of the United States;
• US FDI in Taiwan has doubled since 2018, amounting to $31.5 billion;
• Taiwan is the 8th largest agricultural export market for the United States;
• US exports to Taiwan support over 200,000 US jobs;
• The Taiwan and US semiconductor industries are highly interdependent;
• There are more than 204,000 Taiwanese Americans in the United States;
• The United States is the 5th largest source of tourists to Taiwan;
• over 24,000 Taiwanese students study in the United States; and
• Taiwan and the United States share nearly 90 sister city and state relationships.