President Tsai Ing-wen touched down in Los Angeles on Thursday local time. The president is making a transit stop in the US after visiting Panama and Paraguay on her first overseas trip since taking office last month.
Tsai was met on the plane by Raymond Burghardt, chair of the American Institute in Taiwan. The AIT handles relations with Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties with the US. Ed Royce, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was also present to greet Tsai at the airport.
The president received an enthusiastic welcome from the large number of overseas compatriots resident in California. A banquet held in her honor is expected to be attended by at least 800 people.
Tsai made an earlier transit stop in Miami on her outbound flight. She is scheduled to arrive back in Taipei on Saturday afternoon local time.