Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday met with officials in Santa Clara, California, seeking deeper strategic cooperation with the county, the KMT said in a statement.
Cheng met with Santa Clara City Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Otto Lee (李洲曉), the first ethnic Chinese county supervisor in Silicon Valley, the statement said.
Cheng said she hoped to see Taiwan engaging in deeper strategic cooperation with Santa Clara by leveraging Taiwan's strengths as a silicon shield, the statement said.
Photo courtesy of the Chinese Nationalist Party
She also noted that the County of Santa Clara has a sister relationship with Hsinchu County in Taiwan, home to the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區).
Lee said that many top innovations in Silicon Valley were made in Taiwan, which he has strong ties to, the statement said.
The County of Santa Clara has an operating budget of US$15 billion and an outstanding public health system, Lee said, adding that he hopes it will make further progress in technological innovation and global cooperation with Taiwan.
Tech giants such as Nvidia, Intel and AMD are all headquartered in Santa Clara city, which is also scheduled to host six key FIFA World Cup matches, underscoring its world-class capacity, the statement quoted Gillmor as saying.
The city has begun an energy transition to meet growing demand from AI computing, aiming to double its electricity capacity by 2028, Gillmor said.
In response, Cheng said that Taiwan is facing a serious power shortage crisis due to what she described as flawed energy policies pursued by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
Taiwan should learn from Santa Clara's experience and stabilize its power supply, she added.
Turning to regional security issues, Cheng said that one of the main goals of her visit is to help ease cross-strait tensions, reduce conflict risks and advance technology integration in a stable environment, which in turn would bring a "peace bonus" to the Indo-Pacific region.
During the Cold War, the first island chain, which includes Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, served as a strategic front line, Cheng said.
However, Taiwan should move beyond that Cold War mindset and help transform the island chain into a "chain of peace and prosperity" that brings together talent, technology and capital, she said.
Asked about Cheng's visit, the US Department of State said that "travel to the United States by officials from all of Taiwan's political parties is routine and fully consistent with our longstanding policy."
The department declined to comment on any potential meetings between Cheng and US officials.
On Monday, Cheng and her delegation arrived in the US for a two-week visit, during which she is scheduled to meet with US lawmakers, officials and policy experts, the KMT has said.
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