Choose New Jersey inaugurated last month an Asia Pacific Center in the Taiwanese capital Taipei in line with its goal to deepen cultural ties with Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and China and attract Asian investment to the U.S. state.
“With the historic inauguration of the New Jersey Asia Pacific Center, we are unleashing new possibilities and prosperity for our workers and families in New Jersey, in Taiwan, and across the Asia Pacific region,” said Gov. Phil Murphy.
Present at the event was Choose New Jersey President and CEO Wesley Mathews, who said, “The opening of the New Jersey Asia Pacific Center marks a critical milestone in our efforts to enhance our presence in some of the world’s most significant economic markets.”
Mathews also expressed his excitement about sharing the advantages of New Jersey’s world-class talent, location, and innovation-driven economy with partners in the Asia Pacific.
In a video message, Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, a former New Jersey resident, highlighted the center’s potential to boost trade and investment. “I am confident that the opening of the New Jersey Asia Pacific Center will provide strong momentum in boosting trade, investment, and people-to-people ties between Taiwan and the Garden State,” she said.
The center, headed by Sam Lin, is the group’s fifth international office, joining others in India, Israel, Germany, and Ireland. Lin stressed the center’s role in facilitating increased trade and collaboration, particularly in sectors crucial to New Jersey’s economic success, such as technology, life sciences, and clean energy.
The event also featured remarks from Taiwanese Foreign Ministry Secretary General Daniel Diann-Wen Tang, who told those present, “We appreciate Governor Murphy’s decision to establish New Jersey’s first Asia Pacific Center in Taiwan as it reflects the strategic understanding of Taiwan’s role as a gateway to the broader Indo-Pacific region.”
