The National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators (NAPACSL) has joined forces with the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECO) to initiate an international program fostering economic, cultural, and educational collaboration between U.S. states and Taiwan with Asian American Pacific Islander state legislators.
Modeled after a previously successful program organized with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the inaugural NAPACSL delegation embarked on a visit to Taiwan from December 8-15, 2023. This groundbreaking initiative was realized with the support of Seattle TECO Director General Daniel Chen.
State Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos is a founding board member and former chair of NAPACSL, and state Rep. My-Linh Thai, serves as an executive officer of NAPACSL.
The program aims to promote closer economic, cultural, and educational ties between Taiwan and U.S. states, with a focus on fostering collaboration with Asian Pacific Islander (API) state legislators.
From left: State Rep. Kyle Yamashita (HI); Assemblyman Sterley Stanley (NJ); State Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos (WA); State Rep. Theresa Ma (IL); Taipei City Mayor Wan-An Chiang; Kriselda Valderrama, chair of the National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators (NAPACSL); NAPACSL National Director Irene Kawanabe; and Wendy Underhill, Director of Elections and Redistricting, National Conference of State Legislators. (Photo credit: Kriselda Valderrama)