California's geographic location on the West Coast of the United States makes it an ideal trade partner for the ROC. This advantage, combined with a large population from Taiwan, makes California the ROC's number one trade partner in the United States. The major products Taiwan imports from California include electronic parts, computers, industrial machinery, transportation equipment, and agricultural products, among others. As the ROC’s economy continues to grow stronger, its imports from California are expected to increase as well.
In addition to trade, numerous ROC-based or affiliated companies operate in California. Acer, Global Communication Semiconductor Inc., EVA Group, China Airlines, Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp., President Enterprises Corp., and Tatung are just some of the major companies with a presence in the state.
The area of political and social exchange is more difficult to quantify but no less impressive. There are currently no fewer than 20 cities in Southern California that have sister-city agreements with cities and counties in the ROC, including Taipei and Los Angeles (1979), Taichung and San Diego (1993), Los Angeles County and New Taipei City (1996), and Taoyuan and Irvine (2000), among others.
