Taiwan VP William Lai Arrives in San Francisco to Enhance U.S. Ties During Stopover

By Yuko Mukai / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

16:27 JST, August 17, 2023

SAN FRANCISCO — Taiwan Vice President William Lai Ching-te arrived in San Francisco on Wednesday for a U.S. stopover on his way home from a visit to Paraguay.

Lai’s stopover is also an opportunity for the presidential candidate to show his ability to strengthen ties with the United States ahead of the election scheduled for January 2024.

American Institute in Taiwan Chair Laura Rosenberger met Lai at San Francisco Airport, where it is believed they discussed issues including boosting U.S.-Taiwan ties. The U.S. government-run AIT serves and assists U.S. interests in Taiwan.

It remained unclear whether Lai would meet any U.S. Congress officials during his stopover.