Ruling Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu says that she is not inclined to visit the United States before the 2016 presidential election.
Hung made the comments in a media interview on Thursday. She said that she would prefer to go to the US or Japan after the election in January. She also said that if she were to go to the US now, it would feel like taking a test or attending a job interview, which she said would be very strange. Hung said the US and the KMT have strong ties and that the US trusts the KMT, so she does not absolutely have to go.
Hung said that her election rival, opposition Democratic Progressive Party chairman Tsai Ing-wen, has been preparing for the election for years. Hung said this means she must catch up by spending her time touring around Taiwan to see as many people as possible.
On Wednesday the new US representative to Taiwan, Kin Moy, said the US would welcome a visit by Hung if she decided to make such a trip. Moy also said that Hung would be accorded the same level of courtesy as Tsai.
Hung is expected to be confirmed in a KMT national conference in July as the party’s official presidential candidate.