PHOENIX — Gov. Katie Hobbs joined Taiwanese officials Monday, Oct. 5, to open a Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Phoenix, a new regional hub for Taiwanese businesses and residents that is expected to focus in part on semiconductor collaboration. Taiwan says the office is its 14th in the United States. It plans to help serve a growing Taiwanese community in the region and promote cooperation in technology, including chip manufacturing. The opening proceeded despite pressure from China’s consulate general in Los Angeles. The governor’s office shared two letters with the Associated Press: one dated July 3 and another dated Aug. 21, both asking Hobbs to object to the proposal. In the first, the consulate urged her to reject what it called a political effort that could harm cooperation between China and Arizona. At the opening, Hobbs said Arizona officials should support the partnership with Taiwan and pointed to Taiwanese companies’ expanding presence in the state. “As our economic partnership grows, we are mobilizing every available resource to support Taiwanese companies expanding here in Arizona,” she said. China opposes official interactions between Taiwan and U.S. governments at any level, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Chang said Monday. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of China; Taiwan has its own government and considers itself separate from the mainland. As U.S.-China relations have worsened, state and local ties with both China and Taiwan have become more politically sensitive, scholars say. The Phoenix office arrives as Taiwan’s economic footprint in Arizona grows. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has pledged $100 billion for an expansion of its northern Phoenix operations, bringing its total planned investment in the city to $265 billion, according to the report. About 500 Taiwanese engineers are working to ramp up production at the company’s Arizona site, said Jason Hsu, a former Taiwanese lawmaker and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego also described growth in the Taiwanese community, saying the city is experiencing a kind of “baby boom.” Some local labor and delivery rooms have begun offering Mandarin-language programs, she said. The new office is intended to provide a local point of contact as those business and community ties deepen, while also putting Arizona’s relationship with Taiwan in sharper focus amid Beijing’s objections.