TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) announced Monday she will visit the US for 11 days to promote city exchanges and discuss issues affecting Taiwan and the US.
Liberty Times reported the trip will run from Wednesday to March 21 and focus mainly on East Coast cities including Boston, New York, and Washington. Lu said the visit will cover five states and nine cities.
“The trip has three main goals: strengthening city exchanges, meeting overseas Taiwanese communities, and deepening Taiwan-US relations,” Lu said. She added the US has the largest number of Taichung’s sister and friendly cities.
Lu said she will meet local government officials and community leaders in several cities during the visit. She is also scheduled to lay flowers at the Sun Yat-sen statue in Columbus Park in New York, UDN reported.
The most closely watched part of the trip is expected to take place in Washington on March 17 and 18. Lu plans to meet members of Congress but did not disclose which lawmakers because many arrangements were made by US hosts, per Yahoo News.
Lu said she will also meet Taiwanese business groups and sign a memorandum of understanding with the North American Taiwanese Business Association to expand cooperation. She said the visit aims to strengthen links with overseas Taiwanese and create new opportunities for cooperation.
“Discussions with US partners may cover issues important to both sides, including energy stability, regional security, and global trade,” the mayor said, CNA reported. She said she hopes to exchange views openly and strengthen communication.
Lu said she also hopes to listen to US perspectives and bring those views back to Taiwan. “The visit aims to strengthen understanding, trust, and cooperation between Taiwan and the US,” she added, per TTV.
