MONTPELIER — Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas returned from a trip to Taiwan, where she led a bipartisan delegation of her fellow secretaries from the United States.
Several secretaries of state journeyed as part of a National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) delegation to Taiwan. The trip included meetings with government officials, universities, business and agriculture leaders. The delegation visited sites related to the semiconductor industry, trade organizations, and the American Institute of Taiwan.
Copeland Hanzas also focused the trip on the theme of democracy and elections, visiting Taiwan’s Central Election Commission and sharing her perspective as the Chief Election Officer for Vermont’s election administration system.
“It might not be a well-known fact, but Taiwan is actually Vermont’s second-largest export destination,” said Copeland Hanzas. “The Vermont House and Senate both passed resolutions reaffirming the strong relations between Vermont and Taiwan this session. I was honored to lead this delegation of secretaries from across the country not only to support these economic ties, but also to support Taiwan’s commitment to democracy and open government. There is so much that we can achieve by working and learning together.”
Taiwan maintains commercial, investing, trade, cultural, educational relations and people-to-people exchanges with the U.S. through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Washington D.C., and Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices (TECO) throughout the U.S.
NASS delegations have been visiting Taiwan for over two decades.