Government and Commerce The Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), USG institutions currently host 31 visiting scholars located in , offers commercial, informational and from Taiwanese universities. cultural services to the southeastern . Vincent J.Y. Liu serves as Director General of TECO as The UGA Center for Food Safety collaborates with of December 2016. ’s National Center for Food Safety Education and Research for joint training and research In October 2011, TECO hosted Taiwan’s 100 year exchanges. birthday celebration in Atlanta. TECO also helped coordinate a Taiwan buyers’ mission to Atlanta in 2011, There is an exchange program between Lowndes organized by the Agricultural Trade Office at the County Schools of Valdosta, and Chia-Yi City American Institute in Taiwan The mission included nine Schools of Taiwan. This led to numerous other major Taiwanese agricultural companies looking to exchanges with Georgia, showcasing musical talent of import a variety of Georgia produce. Taiwanese students and engineering competitions.

Atlanta is home to the Atlanta Taiwanese Chamber of There are five active Taiwanese Student Associations Commerce. Additionally, the Southeast Chapter of the in Georgia at the Georgia Institute of Technology (2), U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce is Emory University, University of Georgia and Georgia located in Norcross, Georgia. State University.

Four Georgia cities have sister city agreements with Arts, Culture and Tourism Taiwan: Atlanta - Taipei, Brunswick – Ilan, Columbus – More than 440,000 visitors traveled from Taiwan to the Taichung, and Macon – Kaohsiung City. U.S. in 2015 marking a multi-year trend in tourism growth from this market. The city of Macon has especially strong ties to Taiwan. The wife and sisters-in-law of Sun Yatsen, the “father” The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Assistant of Taiwan, all attended Wesleyan College in Macon in Concertmaster, Jun-Ching Lin, is originally from the early 1900s. Taiwan.

Academics In 2016, the professional dance troupe from Taiwan The University System of Georgia (USG) offers three “Modern Arts Dance Theater” performed at Kennesaw study abroad programs to Taiwan, including programs State University as part of the annual celebrations of in athletic training and kinesiology. More than 230 Taiwanese American Heritage Week. Taiwanese students were enrolled in USG schools during the 2015-16 school year and 17 USG students studied in Taiwan.

International Trade Transportation EXPORTS: In 2015, Georgia exports to Taiwan totaled provides daily one-stop connecting $499.6 million. Taiwan is currently the 19th largest flights from Atlanta to Taipei via Minneapolis-St. Paul export market for Georgia. and , .

Top exports from Georgia to Taiwan include organic The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) in Savannah has an chemicals, poultry, heavy machinery, electrical established relationship with one port in Taiwan. GPA machinery and civilian aircraft. provides four weekly shipping services from Savannah to the Port of Kaohsiung. GPA’s Brunswick Port also Georgia leads the nation in the export of the following provides a fortnightly shipping service to the Port of goods to Taiwan: poultry, parts of gas turbines, kaolin, Taipei. carpets and other textile floor coverings. About GDEcD IMPORTS: In 2015, Georgia imports from Taiwan The Georgia Department of Economic Development totaled $1.44 billion, a 16.6% increase from 2014. (GDEcD) is the state’s sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, Taiwan ranks 11th among Georgia’s importer nations. encouraging the expansion of existing industry and Top imports from Taiwan include electrical machinery, small businesses, aligning workforce education and heavy machinery, rubber tires, motor vehicles, iron and training with in-demand jobs, locating new markets steel. for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a destination for arts and Capital Investment location for film, music and digital entertainment There are at least 17 Georgia companies with projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state operations in Taiwan, including but not limited to: resources for economic development. AGCO Corporation American Megatrends, Inc. *Information valid as of January 2017 Global Payments, Inc.

Hooters of America

InComm Invesco NCR Corporation PrimeGlobal Travelport UPS

There are at least 22 Taiwanese facilities operating in Georgia, of which at least one is a manufacturing location. These Taiwanese-affiliated facilities currently employ more than 520 Georgians. A list can be found online at insite.georgia.org.

A major Taiwanese investment in Georgia is Maxxis, located in Newnan, Georgia. The tire and wheel assembly company has several facilities in the state. Maxxis has been operating in Georgia since 1997.