House Speaker Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, gives his speech during the opening day of the Utah Legislature's 2023 session at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. Wilson just recently returned from a trade mission to Taiwan. He joined Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson on Friday to talk about the trip. (Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — The leaders of Taiwan and the U.S. have seen a great deal of each other lately.
Earlier this week, the Taiwan president transitioned through California and met with a delegation bipartisan, including Utah Rep. John Curtis.
A delegation of congressional members is in Taiwan Friday for talks with Taiwan.
But it’s not just the national leaders, who are helping to strengthen ties with the island country.
Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson (R-Kaysville) recently participated in a trade mission to Taiwan. He joined Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson on Friday to talk about his trip to Taiwan.
Matheson begins the conversation by asking, “As you walked with and learned more about our friends in Taiwan, now what did you come away with?”
“First of all, I’ll say we do have friends in Taiwan,” Wilson said. “They are remarkable people and funny people. And they love the United States for probably obvious reasons.”
Wilson says the trip was in collaboration with the Taiwanese government.
“We wanted to learn from them,” he said. “And they’re strong, and they have an innovative economy. And they share a lot of the values that we share here in Utah.”
Wilson says it’s a busy island.
“They’ve got 23 million people in a much smaller place than we have in the state of Utah,” he said. “So, it’s a lively place.”
Wilson says the island country is playing an important role in the technology sector. He says 65% of the world’s microchips are produced in the island country.
“We’ve got a lot riding on the success of that relatively small island,” he said.
“What else did you learn about that ecosystem beneficial, helpful to the state of Utah?” Matheson asked.
“One of the things we learned is there’s a lot of opportunity for us to partner with Taiwan,” Wilson said. “And some of those tech businesses as they stand up partnerships, in particular in the Intermountain West.”
He says the island country is interested in partnerships and joint ventures not just in the United States, but in Utah as well.
One of the other things discussed, according to Wilson, is how the higher education institutions in Utah can partner with Taiwan.
“Because we’ve got some amazing institutions here of higher education,” he said. “And of course, they do there as well. They do education there very well.”
Listen to the entire segment.
Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson can be heard weekdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app.