TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) has confirmed she is planning to visit the US, reports said Saturday.

Media reported she planned to leave for the US on March 11 for an 11-day trip. The timing would see her back to Taiwan just before the opening of the next session of Taichung City Council, per CNA.

Lu told reporters Saturday that she had avoided public appearances over the previous three days because she had had to make many preparations, both for the trip and for her return afterward.

Recent talks with KMT legislators have focused on issues in Taiwan-US relations including tariffs and arms sales, she said. In addition to discussing those topics during her trip, she would also conduct city-to-city diplomacy.

Lu is often considered a potential KMT presidential candidate in elections —expected in January 2028. 

The main opposition party has come under pressure, including from members of the US Congress, for blocking progress on the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.5 billion) special defense budget at the Legislative Yuan. The next session of the Legislature will discuss the proposed package, but also different versions from the TPP and the KMT.