Regional Relationships

CALIFORNIA

Geography and Population California, which has an area of more than 420,000 square kilometers, is about twelve times the area of Taiwan. It is the nation’s third largest state, following Alaska and Texas.California’s population of about 3,951 million people ranks highest in the nation. California has 58 counties. There are nine counties with populations of over one million people—five in Southern California and four in Northern California. Los Angeles county holds the largest population of about eleven million people. In Northern California, Santa Clara is the largest county, holding a population of about two million people.
PoliticsCalifornia is one of the most important states in presidential elections because it has one tenth of the United States’ electoral colleges, congressmen, and senators. California is also a Democratic stronghold. Moreover, its proportion of Republican supporters is decreasing, as the number of Latino immigrants gradually increases. California’s two senators are both Democrats. Among the 53 seats in the federal House of Representatives, Democrats hold 46 seats while Republicans hold only 7.California Governor Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Chief Financial Officer Fiona Ma, Comptroller Betty Yu, Education are among the eight elected officials of California that are all Democrats.The California state Senate has 40 seats: Democrats hold 31 of the seats, while Republicans hold 9. Each state Senator’s term lasts for four years, with an upper limit of 12 years. The state House of Representatives has a total of 80 seats, 58 of which are held by Democrats, while 19 are held by Republicans, 1 is held by independent and 2 vacancy (District 17 and 49). Representatives are elected for 2-year terms, with a limit of 12 years in office.III. Economic situationCalifornia, which is known as the “Golden State”, is very rich in resources. In 2020, it reached a gross domestic product (GDP) of 3.09 trillion. If the state of California were classified as an independent nation, it would have been the world’s 5th largest economy (after the United States, China, Japan and Germany), ranking above the United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, India, Canada, and Australia.California contributes to 14% of the United States’ overall gross production—the highest of all U.S. states. It holds the nation’s leading high-tech industry, with Silicon Valley, venture capital industries, and headquarters of internationally renowned corporations (Google, Yahoo, Apple, Cisco, Oracle, HP and eBay). In addition, Taiwanese companies such as TSMC, UMC, and Foxconn Technology also have branches of their office in California.
California is also the nation’s leading state in agriculture. In 2019, the total value of agricultural production summed up to nearly $50 billion, accounting for 14.6 % of the United States’ gross agricultural output. It produces over 400 different species, 45% of which are exported internationally.

California and Taiwan

California and Taiwan share a close relationship. On April 17th of 1984, Taiwan and California solidified their sister-state relationship, making Taiwan the first foreign state to form a formal alliance with California. About 50 million Taiwanese have immigrated to California, sparking frequent bilateral exchanges. Currently, there are 14 counties in Northern California that have formed sister-county/city relationships with Taiwan’s various cities and counties.

Through a joint resolution with the California Assembly in July of 2015, the first week of May each year was declared “Taiwan Week”, which received positive reactions from the expatriate community.

In 2019, Taiwan ranked as California’s 7th largest export market. California exports a total of $7.22 billion to Taiwan, a higher amount than it exports to the Netherlands, Germany, and United Kingdom. Taiwan and California’s bilateral trade summed up to nearly 26 billion. In addition, Taiwan also exports seven main agricultural products to California: cotton, beef, peaches and nectarines, rice, grapes, and almonds.

California has the highest number of Taiwanese students studying in the United States, currently holding about 5,000 students. It is also the sixth largest source of Taiwanese foreign students, following behind China, South Korea, India, Saudi Arabia, and Japan.

NEVADA

Geography and Population

Nevada joined the United States of America in 1864, becoming America’s 36^th state. It lies in the West of the U.S.— east of Utah, west of California, north of Idaho and Oregon, and south of Arizona. Nevada is America’s 7^th largest state, with an area of more than 280,000 square kilometers (about eight times the area of Taiwan). 87% of the land belongs to federal government. The deserts and highlands are sparsely populated. Most of the population of 2.8 million people resides in south of Las Vegas and in the northern area of Reno, two major metropolitan areas. The state is divided into 17 administrative counties; Clark County is the state’s largest county and nation’s 5^thlargest county. Clark County encompasses Nevada’s largest city, Las Vegas, and the second largest city, Henderson.

2. Politics

1) Nevada holds two seats in the United States Senate, four seats in the House of Representatives.

2) The Nevada State Legislature is dominantly Republican. A State senator’s term is 4-years long, and they can be in office for three consecutive terms. Every two years, half of the Nevada Senate’s seats are up for election. A member of the State Assembly has a term of two years, and can stay in office for six consecutive terms. The State Assembly is formally in session every two years, for 120 days at a time.

3. Economy

Nevada’s economy revolves around casino tourism and mining. Every year, over 40 million people visit Nevada. Las Vegas, also known as Nevada’s Mojave Desert, is a must-see for visitors of the United States. Every year, Las Vegas holds trade fairs concerning environmental protection technologies, automobile parts, medical equipment, hardware, and agricultural products. Because electronics and digital technologies are advancing so rapidly recently, the Consumer Electronics Show saw many profound innovations, and became the world’s second largest convention. The state is also dubbed the “Silver State”, as Nevada is the biggest producer of gold and silver in the nation.

Nevada and Taiwan

On October 24^th, 1985, Taiwan and Nevada became sister-states. On October 8^th of the same year, the state capital Reno and Taichung, Taiwan established their sister-city relationship.
In 2019, Taiwan and Nevada’s bilateral trading relationship yielded a $560 million surplus for Taiwan. Nevada earned $65 million from its exports to Taiwan. However, Taiwan earned $633 million from its exports into Nevada. (Taiwan is Nevada’s 23rd largest export market). Taiwan’s main exported products are: computers and electronic devices, metal products, lumber, and gold. Every year, companies manufacturing automobile parts, environmental protection technologies, medical instruments, hardware, and furniture send various groups to conventions held in Nevada.
Around 40 million tourists from Taiwan visit Nevada every year. The state’s main sources of revenue come from tourist attractions, restaurants, theater performances, and exhibitions. Each year, up to more than 10 million visitors from Taiwan travel to Las Vegas, Nevada’s main tourist spot. Thousands of manufacturers also visit Nevada each year to organize or attend conferences.
About 30,000 Taiwanese citizens currently reside in Nevada, most of them working in the catering, tourism, and service industries. The main groups of overseas Taiwanese groups in Nevada include the Taiwanese Association of Las Vegas and the Taiwan Benevolent Association of Las Vegas. In 2019, there were about 100 Taiwanese students studying in Nevada state universities.

UTAH

1. History

In 1847, Brigham Young led the Mormons to settle in the valley of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, declaring the area their religious sanctuary. Utah became a state of the U.S.A. in 1896, and became America’s 45^th state.

2. Geography and Population

Utah is around 220,000 square kilometers (six times bigger than Taiwan). It holds a population of about 3,330,000 people (about 1/8 of Taiwan’s population), only 2.7% of which are of Asian descent.

3. Politics

In general, Utah citizens are relatively conservative in ideology. For long, the state has been mostly comprised of Republicans. The governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, and auditor general, all of whom were elected into their positions, are Republican. On the federal level, two senators and four congressmen are Republican as well.
In the state senate, more than 2/3 is Republican. The ratio of Republicans to Democrats in the Senate is 23:6, and 57:17 in the House of Representatives.

4. Religion

Utah’s most prominent religion is the Latter-Day Saints Church (also known as the Mormon Church). 70% of the Utah population is Mormon. Around the world, there are 14,000,000 Mormons, and over 100 Mormon temples. In 162 countries, there are over 60,000 missionaries, each volunteering for around 18-24 months. The Mormon bible has been translated into 93 different languages. The religion teaches believers to marry early, bear many offspring, hold strong family values, and abstain from drinking tea, coffee, or alcohol. Because of their Mormon beliefs, Utah citizens are kind and hospitable.

5. Economy

Utah’s economy mainly revolves around manufacturing, mining, transportation, and service. In recent years, they have actively supported research-oriented universities in an attempt to turn research outcomes into revenue. They have also worked to promote biotechnologies (especially in the areas of cosmetic treatment, nutritional foods, medicines, etc.), tourism, software information technologies, financial services, etc. South Utah, which holds five national parks (Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion), primarily benefits from tourism. East Utah is rich in oil and gas wells, while Central Utah is rich in coal mines. The economy of the Great Salt Lake valley revolves around biotechnologies, tourism convention services, financial services, and skiing.

6. Utah & Taiwan’s relationship

In July of 1980, Utah and Taiwan established their sister-state relationship. In June of 1979, Salt Lake City and Kee-Lung established their sister-city relationship. Again in June of 1988, the city of Murray became the sister-city of Chia-Yi. West Valley City and Nantou City also formed a sister-city relationship in July of 2000. Lastly, in April of 2008, Salt Lake County and Nantou County solidified their sister-county relationship.
In 1956, The Latter-Day Saints Church sent four missionaries to start their ministry in Taiwan. In 1957, the Taiwanese people began attending the Mormon Church. As of today, there are more than 60,000 believers in Taiwan, attending 68 churches and 105 branch churches across the island.
There are some 2,000 Taiwan immigrants currently living in Utah (10,000 Chinese-speaking immigrants in total), working in hotels, restaurants, and the tourism industry. There are several overseas Taiwanese-related organizations, including Chinese Society of Utah, Taiwanese Association of Greater Salt Lake, Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of Greater Salt Lake, Global Federation of Chinese Business Women, State of Utah Chapter, and Bing Kong Tong. Currently, there are around 200 Taiwanese students studying in various universities in Utah.