County Executive Marc Elrich will travel to Taiwan to represent Montgomery County during a conference, and to promote the jurisdiction as “a great place to do business.”
Elrich said he was invited to speak at the 2023 Smart City Summit & Expo next week and decided to use the opportunity as an economic development-oriented trip as well.
“We see this as a great opportunity to go to Taiwan and to demonstrate that Montgomery County is both a great place to live and a great place to do business,” he said during a media briefing Wednesday. “And we obviously have a lot of Asian companies that have migrated to the United States or opened offices in the United States.”
Elrich said this will be his first international economic trade mission as county executive. He will be joined by other county representatives and several business leaders representing the technology startup community.
He said his team set up meetings with university leaders in Taiwan and is sure that the planned University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing will come up in conversations.
“Again, there are probably a lot of synergies between work that they are interested in doing and work that we are going to be doing here in Montgomery County,” Elrich said. The county hopes to define some common interests and economic development opportunities.
County representatives will also meet with dozens of Taiwanese business leaders who are interested in potentially opening a lab or office on the east coast or partnering with Montgomery County companies.
It is also an opportunity for some local businesses coming along.
“I’m excited about this opportunity to promote the county and to find potential opportunities and partnerships,” Elrich said.
According to the event’s website, the summit expects visitors from 47 countries. The agenda shows Montgomery County will join a City Leaders Summit forum and panel discussion about “Using smart technology to reach Zero-Carbon Building” on March 28.
“With Taiwan finally reopening its border, 2023 SCSE is ready to welcome international city leaders, stakeholders, buyers, business partners, and exhibitors to explore the opportunities with digital transformation in wide variety of smart city industries,” the website reads.
Elrich said Taiwanese leaders reached out to the county due to what the county has accomplished through its Climate Action Plan.
