On November 25, the Taiwan government’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MEA) recognized U.S. based Hewlett Packard (HP) as the number one foreign buyer of Taiwan made computer related products.

The MEA refused to give an exact dollar amount but said it was at least 10% more than what HP spent in 2010.  In 2010 HP spent U.S.$25 billion on Taiwanese products!

HP officials told the Taiwan media they plan on buying $30 billion worth of Taiwanese made products in the next two years.  On top of that they plan to hire hundreds of Taiwanese for their Taiwan operations.

This greatly contrasts with what Hewlett Packard is doing with it’s U.S. operations.  Slashing and burning operating budgets and laying off hundreds of U.S. employees.

In a recent interview, the new CEO of HP, Meg Whitman, said this: “We’re relatively pessimistic about the economic outlook in two of our three major regions. 2012 just looks tough to me.”

Apparently the United States is one of the two regions she’s pessimistic about, because that’s not what HP officials are saying about their Taiwan operations.  Several Taiwan media sources reported that HP officials feel very “upbeat” about the economic situation in Taiwan, and Asia in general.

In July HP bought back $10 billion of their own stocks, then laid off 500 U.S. employees in September.  At the beginning of November, news of more lay offs was leaked by people claiming to work at HP’s Boise, Idaho, factory.  Idaho media contacted HP and was told that a press release was in the works.  So far no press release.