Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday dismissed speculation that his planned visit to the US in the spring is designed to pave the way for a presidential bid next year, saying that it would be purely academic.
Han in an interview with US broadcaster Voice of America, which was published on Tuesday, said that he is scheduled to give a speech at Harvard University in April or May at the invitation of its Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies.
He agreed to the trip after five professors from the school in Boston visited him shortly after he took office last month and invited him to give a speech to Harvard students, Han said.
Photo copied by Ko Yu-hao, Taipei Times
“These professors wanted to know what changes have occurred in Taiwan’s political environment and structure after last year’s local elections, and if they could have some long-lasting effects,” Han said.
“I told them that a topic I would really like to talk about is what Taiwanese truly want after the local elections and what kind of messages they tried to send through them,” he said.
Han became the first Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member to govern Kaohsiung in 20 years after he defeated Democratic Progressive Party candidate Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) by 9 percent on Nov. 24 last year.
The KMT secured 15 out of 22 cities and counties in the elections, while the DPP lost seven.
In addition to giving a speech, Han said that if possible, he would visit Taiwanese in New York and Los Angeles.
“I want to brief them on Kaohsiung’s current situation and invite them to invest in or visit Kaohsiung,” said Han, who has made economic development a top priority of his term.
“I would seize all opportunities to promote Kaohsiung,” he added.
As independent Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) of the KMT and KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) also have plans to visit the US this year and are rumored to be interested in running for president next year, Han’s trip has sparked speculation that he could also be aiming for the job.
Han denied that the trip was about the next presidential race, or that he would meet with any US officials during his visit, adding: “This is a very simple trip. Do not look too much into it.”
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