Mayor Kip Holden met today with a group of Taiwanese business and political officials in an effort to explore potential business opportunities between Baton Rouge and the Asian nation.
“It went extremely well,” says Holden, who has traveled to Taiwan several times since 2007 and forged a sister city relationship between Baton Rouge and the Taiwanese city of Taichung. “We are continuing our collaborative efforts.”
Though no firm deals came out of the meeting, Holden says he talked to members of the delegation about the Water Campus, currently under construction between River Road and Nicholson Drive, and potential opportunities for Taiwanese companies to be involved there.
“I also stressed the importance of the collaboration between LSU, Southern and the community college system,” he says.
Among those who attended the meeting were Louis M. Huang, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston; Amos Chen, president of Opicoil America Inc., which is associated with the overseas company Taiwan CPC Corp.; Jack Wu, vice president of Formosa Plastics Corporation in Texas; and Alden Andre, vice president of Formosa Plastics Corporation in Louisiana.
Holden says besides rolling out the red carpet for Taiwanese companies to invest here, he hopes to facilitate opportunities for local companies to invest there.
“Any industry that is interested in locating there, all they have to do is let me know,” he says.
—Stephanie Riegel
