Washington appears to be cultivating relationships with different strands of the island’s opposition party, say analysts
4-MIN READ4-MINLawrence Chungin TaipeiPublished: 6:00am, 27 Jun 2026A high-profile visit to Washington by Taiwanese Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu reflects a broader US effort to strengthen ties with the island’s main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), according to analysts.Han’s trip follows visits to the United States by Taichung mayor and KMT member Lu Shiow-yen in March and KMT chairwoman Cheng Li-wun earlier this month.The succession of arrivals suggested Washington was preparing for political uncertainty after Taiwan’s 2028 leadership election by cultivating relationships across the KMT on issues ranging from defence spending to semiconductor cooperation, analysts said. 01:56‘A milestone visit’: Xi and Trump set sights on stability for China-US relationsHan arrived in the United States on Monday leading a seven-member, cross-party parliamentary delegation after invitations from congressional Taiwan caucuses.During the week-long visit, he toured Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) Arizona operations and met Taiwanese businesses investing in the US.Han also held talks with a bipartisan group of seven senators and attended a congressional reception joined by 33 lawmakers, including former House speaker Nancy Pelosi. He met officials from the White House and the Pentagon in addition to fellows from the Heritage Foundation think tank, and is expected to return to Taiwan on Saturday.
“Han, as legislative speaker, is expected to receive a high-level reception from US officials and lawmakers,” said James Yifan Chen, a professor of diplomacy at Tamkang University in New Taipei City.
