Taichung mayor says U.S. trip aims to build goodwill for Taiwan

New York, March 14 (CNA) Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) arrived in New York City on Saturday, framing her March 11-21 visit to the United States as a strategic effort to bolster Taiwan's security and development by strengthening international ties and broadly building goodwill.

Speaking to reporters, Lu said the trip has three main goals: deepening city-to-city exchanges, engaging with overseas Taiwanese communities, and reinforcing Taiwan-U.S. relations.

Lu arrived in New York following a stop in Boston. Her Saturday itinerary began at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) in Manhattan's Chinatown, where she met with CCBA President Eric Y. Ng (伍銳賢) and other community leaders.

She later traveled to Columbus Park to lay flowers at a statue of Sun Yat-sen (孫中山), the founding father of the Republic of China (Taiwan's official name).

Lu said the ROC is Asia's first democracy and that its core values are democracy and freedom.

Through democratic elections, people can determine the direction of the country while differences can be resolved through the rule of law, she said, adding that organizations such as the CCBA serve as a "beachhead" for shared democratic values.

After the Chinatown events, Lu outlined the goals of her trip ahead of a banquet with Taiwanese expatriates in Flushing.

She said the U.S. has the largest number of Taichung's sister and friendship cities, and she hopes to further strengthen exchanges with them during the visit.

Lu added that the trip also aims to show support for Taiwanese living overseas, noting that the United States hosts the largest overseas Taiwanese population -- estimated at over half a million people --including many people with roots in Taichung.

She also described the U.S. as a long-standing ally and strategic partner of Taiwan, but cautioned that such ties require continued effort.

"Friendships do not maintain themselves automatically," she said. "They need to be nurtured to build greater understanding, trust and cooperation."

While visiting as the mayor of Taichung, she said she is also an ROC citizen and is willing to do whatever she can if it benefits the country.

Her delegation is scheduled to travel to Washington, D.C. next week, where she said she remains open to additional meetings beyond her official itinerary.

Lu, who is serving her second term as Taichung mayor through December 2026, is widely viewed as a potential contender for the opposition Kuomintang in Taiwan's 2028 presidential race.