Taiwanese government paid thousands for New England lawmakers to visit

The Taiwanese government paid thousands of dollars to fly New England lawmakers to Taiwan for a multi-day visit this month that included a stay at a five-star hotel in Taipei and meetings with top officials, according to an ethics filing and legislators who took part in the trip.

The trip took place as the Trump administration is trying to pressure Taiwan to shift a large portion of its chip production to the United States, and as the island is looking to shore up trade and security support amid growing threats from China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory.

Matt Harrington, a Republican state senator from Maine, traveled to Taiwan as part of the New England delegation. He said Taiwanese diplomats “tend to reach out to state-level lawmakers to try to garner support” because of strained relations at the federal level.

In an interview, he said his main reason for going was “knowing that they've been looking to relocate a lot of their manufacturing to the United States to get around the tariffs.”

“I want Maine to be at least a part of that conversation,” he said.

State lawmakers, constitutional officers and government officials in Massachusetts regularly score free or partially paid-for trips because of their public positions.

A group of Beacon Hill legislators traveled to Dublin over the summer on a trip that was partly covered by a cultural organization. And lawmakers from across the country, including Massachusetts, were flown to Israel in September on the dime of that country’s government.

Sen. Adam Gomez, a Springfield Democrat, participated in the Taiwan trip, from Nov. 3 through Nov. 8, according to an ethics filing he submitted to state regulators last month.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spent $8,519 on Gomez's trip to the island, the ethics filing said. That included $6,499 on airfare, $400 on local transportation, $750 for lodging, $770 for food and $100 on a cultural event ticket, according to the Oct. 29 filing. The filing showed he was set to stay at the Hotel Royal-Nikko Taipei, a five-star accommodation which boasts “a refined blend of understated luxury and bright, airy spaces.”

A trip itinerary included in Gomez’s filing said the New England lawmakers were scheduled to meet with Taiwan’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, Chen Ming-chi.

Gomez said the trip was his first time in Asia. The Springfield Democrat said there was no time for “leisure” because of a busy meeting schedule.

“I was in meetings by 9 a.m. and it was back-to-back meeting with individuals, meeting different industries, meeting organizations,” and with government ministers, or secretaries, Gomez said in an interview.

In his ethics filing, Gomez said the trip promoted the interests of Massachusetts because the state “shares a mutual interest with Taiwan on trade, investment, and innovation.”

“This trip will strengthen the relationship between the Commonwealth and Taiwan in those areas,” Gomez wrote in the filing. “This trip will inform my work as a senator on a number of economic and cultural topics of importance to the Commonwealth and its residents.”

Chin Hsu, deputy director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston, said lawmakers visited the island to discuss issues of “mutual importance” to both Taiwan and New England, like trade and education.

“This program is part of our ongoing efforts to promote friendship and mutual understanding between Taiwan and … New England. We hope to … foster a stronger bilateral collaboration in various fields such as AI, science and technology, trade, education,” Hsu said in a statement to WBUR.

Hsu did not say why the Taiwanese government paid for the trip.

Harrington, the Maine state senator, confirmed the Taiwanese government also paid for his trip to the island. He said it’s normal for foreign governments to invite state lawmakers to their countries and pay for the trips.

“I just did a trip to Israel not too long ago, same kind of thing,” Harrington said.

Denise Ricciardi, a Republican state senator from New Hampshire who was part of the New England delegation, said the Taiwanese government paid for nearly all of the trip except for her car service to Boston, incidentals and some meals.

In a statement to WBUR, she said there are “strong cultural connections” between Taiwan and New England.

“Taiwan’s pillars of democracy, peace, and prosperity reflect the values we hold in New Hampshire and across the region, strengthening both cultural bonds and future economic collaboration,” Ricciardi said.