New Taipei City Mayor and Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou You-yi (侯友宜) arrived in New York Thursday night local time, kicking off his eight-day trip in the United States. Hou’s campaign office says he will meet with American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chair Laura Rosenberger and U.S. lawmakers to engage in dialogue and deepen their friendship. The AIT serves as the de facto embassy of the U.S. to Taiwan.
In a tweet, Hou said that he wants to use the trip to strengthen relations, promote democracy, and share his vision for the future of the Indo-Pacific. Hou’s schedule includes stops in Washington D.C., New York City, Newark, and San Francisco. Hou says that he plans to visit the AIT headquarters in Arlington, Virginia and that he looks forward to meeting new and old friends.
Rosenberger in her own tweet said AIT welcomes the mayor to the U.S. and looks forward to meeting him during his visit to Washington D.C.
Hou’s campaign office says that he will take part in two symposiums in New York hosted by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy and the Council on Foreign Relations. It adds that in Washington D.C. he will meet with think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation and deliver a speech at the Brookings Institution.
Hou’s trip is scheduled to take place from September 14 to September 22.