Jamie Dimon Plans to Visit Taiwan After High-Profile China Trip

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon is planning to visit Taiwan after wrapping up his high-profile trip to China, navigating a politically sensitive region at a time of heightened tensions between Beijing and Washington.

(Bloomberg) — JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon is planning to visit Taiwan after wrapping up his high-profile trip to China, navigating a politically sensitive region at a time of heightened tensions between Beijing and Washington.

Dimon is set to arrive in Taiwan on Friday, part of a trip across Asia that included an appearance at a JPMorgan summit in Shanghai and a meeting with at least one senior Chinese government official, according to people familiar with the matter. The banker plans a meeting with around 500 local employees and customers in Taiwan, the people said. 

A spokesperson for JPMorgan in Hong Kong declined to comment. 

Meetings and movements of American executives are being closely watched against the environment of elevated geopolitical hostilities. China often balks at visits by foreign luminaries and politicians to Taiwan, as Beijing fears these moves will give Taiwan the trappings of sovereignty when it claims the island as part of Chinese territory.

Read More: Dimon Says JPMorgan Will Be in China for Good and Bad Times

Dimon is at least the third major global CEO to have visited Taiwan over the past two weeks. Nvidia Corp.’s Jensen Huang gave a commencement speech at a local university in late May and got a rockstar reception at the Computex exhibition in Taipei this week. Arm Ltd. CEO Rene Haas was in Taipei this week and then flew to China. 

Earlier in the week, Dimon visited China as a slew of global business leaders descend on the country, including Elon Musk. While in China, Dimon said his company remains committed to doing business in the Communist Party-ruled nation, despite the deterioration in China-US relations. 

The visit comes amid stresses hanging over business ties between the world’s biggest economies, even as Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping move to become more self-reliant in key areas. Dimon’s current trip also includes Hong Kong and South Korea. 

JPMorgan’s Taiwan operations include corporate and investment banking, commercial banking and an asset management business. 

Dimon first visited Taiwan in 2014, a trip that included a meeting with then-President Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang party. Taiwan is currently ramping up for a presidential election in January 2024.

Dimon on Wednesday hinted at his life after JPMorgan, saying a run for public office had crossed his mind. Dimon, who has been head of JPMorgan since 2005, has repeatedly joked that he plans to remain atop the firm for five more years, no matter when he’s asked. He’s also been quick to shut down speculation of a presidential run that’s cropped up periodically over the past decade.

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