KMT lawmakers meet San Francisco officials on U.S. trip

Taipei, Sept. 15 (CNA) A delegation of opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers visiting the United States said Monday that it had met with San Francisco city officials to discuss technology innovation, autonomous vehicles and social welfare policies.

The delegation, comprising KMT lawmakers Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯), Liao Wei-hsiang (廖偉翔), Huang Chien-hao (黃健豪), Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷), Lo Ting-wei (羅廷瑋), Ko Ju-chun (葛如鈞) and Chen Ching-hui (陳菁徽), embarked on a 12-day U.S. trip on Sept. 9, with stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York.

In a statement issued Monday, the delegation said it met with San Francisco officials, including Mark Chandler, director of the San Francisco Mayor's Office of International Trade and Commerce, for talks on technological innovation, smart transportation and social welfare policies.

The lawmakers also met with members of the San Francisco Taipei Sister City Committee to promote local-level exchanges between Taiwan and the United States.

During their visit, several lawmakers rode in autonomous vehicles operated by Tesla and Waymo around the city, describing the commercial deployment and integration of self-driving cars into the transportation system as impressive.

The delegation said San Francisco's open regulatory environment and innovation-friendly policies have helped make the city a global technology hub, adding that its experience could provide a useful reference for Taiwan as it adjusts regulations governing smart transportation and emerging technologies.

The two sides also exchanged views on autonomous vehicle regulations, startup ecosystems, services for homeless people and ways to deepen sister-city ties, according to the statement.

The lawmakers thanked overseas Taiwanese communities and civic organizations for their role in strengthening Taiwan-U.S. relations and said they hoped to further expand exchanges in technology, trade and culture.

They said the trip had provided firsthand insight into how advanced technologies are used in urban governance and the challenges faced by major cities in caring for vulnerable groups, adding that they plan to draw on the experience in the Legislative Yuan when promoting startup development and policies affecting people's livelihoods in Taiwan.

Earlier in the trip, the delegation visited the KMT's U.S. headquarters, the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in San Francisco and several longstanding overseas Chinese community organizations, where they held discussions with community representatives.

The lawmakers also visited Roblox Corp.'s headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area to discuss child online safety and next-generation immersive technology with company executives, according to an earlier statement from Hsu's office.