Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) is planning to visit the US early next year, KMT Department of International Affairs head Alexander Huang (黃介正) said yesterday.
Huang at a news conference in Taipei said that Chu plans to embark on a US tour that would likely take place after the Jan. 29 to Feb. 6 Lunar New Year holiday and include stops in Washington, and other cities on the east and west coasts.
Chu is planning to meet with US government officials and lawmakers, as well as think tank representatives to communicate the KMT’s position on various issues, Huang said, without elaborating.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
Chu is also not ruling out the possibility of visiting Japan, Huang said, adding that the party values its relationship with Japan, and is keen to interact with Japanese lawmakers.
The KMT’s deputy chairs and other leading members of the party also have plans to visit the US as part of efforts to expand the party’s cooperation in areas such as technology, economic issues and national security.
It had been reported that Chu could visit Washington and take part in a planned reopening of the KMT liaison office in the US.
Although Huang did not confirm those reports, he said that the liaison office would begin operations after the Lunar New Year holiday.
The KMT closed its US office shortly after former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took office in 2008.
Since then the KMT has not had a representative to the US until Chu assumed the role of the KMT chairman in October.
Chu on Nov. 30 sent KMT Department of International Affairs deputy director Eric Huang (黃裕鈞) to the US to reopen the liaison office.
Speaking via videoconference at the news conference, Eric Huang said the preparation work is “on schedule” thanks to the support from the US government, as well as US-based KMT members and supporters.
There has been a lot of discussion about Taiwan among US government officials, lawmakers and academics, and they are interested in learning about the views of the main opposition party, he said.
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