The ruling KMT's new presidential candidate Eric Chu says that he is going to lead a delegation to the US in early November. He was speaking on Wednesday during a television interview. The KMT chose Chu to replace its previous candidate, Hung Hsiu-chu, at a party meeting on Saturday.
Chu said he hopes to discuss bilateral ties and cross-strait relations with US officials. Chu also said that he wants to speak in the US about his vision for cross-strait ties.
"If we go to the US for a visit, we first need to sustain bilateral ties in the area of politics, economics, trade, and culture," said Chu. "Also, I want the US to know that in terms of cross-strait relations, we are a very stable peacemaker and will absolutely not cause problems. I think that the US has faith in this."
Chu also said that relations with the US are based not only cross-strait policies but also on bilateral trade. Taiwan and the US have recently discussed US pork imports and other issues during talks held under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. Chu said that though there are still issues that need to be worked out, he believes that the US is confident of Taiwan’s trade policies due to longstanding trade relations between the two sides.