Santa clara: Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun met with officials in Santa Clara on Thursday, seeking deeper strategic cooperation with the California county, during her visit to the United States, according to a KMT news release.
According to Focus Taiwan, Cheng met with Santa Clara City Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Otto Lee, the first ethnic Chinese county supervisor in Silicon Valley, on Thursday, Taipei time, the party said. The KMT chairperson expressed her desire for Taiwan to engage in deeper strategic cooperation with Santa Clara by leveraging Taiwan’s strengths as a “Silicon Shield,” according to the press release.
She highlighted Santa Clara county’s sisterhood relationship with Hsinchu County in Taiwan, home to the Hsinchu Science Park. Lee noted that many top innovations in Silicon Valley originated in Taiwan and emphasized his strong ties to Taiwan, the KMT said. He also mentioned Santa Clara county’s operating budget of US$15 billion and its strong public health system, expressing hope for further progress in technological innovation and global cooperation with Taiwan.
Gillmor pointed out that tech giants such as Nvidia, Intel, and AMD are headquartered in the City of Santa Clara, which is also set to host six FIFA World Cup matches. The city is working on energy transitions to meet the growing demand from AI computing, with plans to double its electricity capacity by 2028.
In response, Cheng addressed Taiwan’s power shortage crisis, attributing it to flawed energy policies by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. She suggested that Taiwan should learn from Santa Clara’s experience to stabilize its power supply. Cheng also discussed regional security issues, aiming to ease cross-strait tensions, reduce conflict risks, and advance technology integration under a stable environment, which would bring a “peace bonus” to the Indo-Pacific region.
Cheng remarked that during the Cold War, the “first island chain,” which includes Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, served as a strategic front line. However, she emphasized that Taiwan should move beyond that mindset in the 21st century and help transform the island chain into a “chain of peace and prosperity” that unites talent, technology, and capital.
The U.S. State Department, responding to CNA questions about Cheng’s visit on Wednesday in Washington, stated that travel to the United States by officials from all of Taiwan’s political parties is routine and consistent with longstanding policy. The department declined to comment on any potential meetings between Cheng and U.S. officials. Cheng and her delegation arrived Monday in the U.S. for a two-week visit, during which she will meet with U.S. lawmakers, officials, and policy experts across the country, according to the KMT.