Tennessee delegation signs MOU in Taiwan, meets potential investors in South Korea and Tokyo

An unnamed staff member said the Tennessee delegation signed a memorandum of understanding with Taiwanese officials during a stop in Taiwan and later met with global company executives in South Korea and Tokyo to promote investment in the state.

The staff member said, "we signed an MOU between Tennessee and the country, and really what that's doing is just, formalizing a relationship we already have," and described several days of meetings with government officials and Taiwanese businesses.

According to the same speaker, the delegation then traveled to South Korea, where they met "with global CEOs, companies that are already investing in our state right now, and some that are considering investing in our state." The speaker added, "they're investing billions of dollars in our state, hiring a lot of Tennesseans," but did not provide exact dollar amounts or identify specific companies.

The staff member characterized the governor as playing a sales role for the state, saying he "met a lot of folks and was selling the state, he's the number 1 sales guy for the state," and emphasized relationship-building and face-to-face meetings as a reason for spending time with companies that are making major investment decisions.

The speaker said the delegation had "made our way to Tokyo" and that they would return at the end of the week to report back on the trip and its outcomes. No formal actions, votes, or specific investment commitments were recorded in the provided transcript.

Details not specified in the transcript include the exact text or scope of the MOU, the names of companies meeting with the delegation, and precise investment amounts.