KMT lawmakers visit San Francisco to build US-Taiwan tech bridge

Kuomintang (KMT) legislators Hsu Chiao-hsiung, Liao Wei-hsiang, Huang Chien-hao, and Lo Chih-chiang embarked on a visit to the United States earlier this month, with a key focus of their itinerary being a meeting with the San Francisco City Government. This trip is not only a routine practice of intra-party external exchange, but also reflects the KMT's hope to enhance the reference value of its policymaking through an international perspective amid changes in cross-strait dynamics and the domestic political landscape. As a tech hub on the West Coast of the United States, San Francisco gathers numerous innovative enterprises and smart transportation demonstration projects, making it the core stage for this dialogue.

During the meeting, the two sides engaged in an in-depth dialogue on the issue of "technological innovation." The San Francisco Mayor's Office shared the city's industrial chain layout in the fields of semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and green energy, and explained how to accelerate the growth of startups through public-private partnerships. The KMT legislators outlined Taiwan's critical role in the global semiconductor supply chain, emphasizing the need to learn from San Francisco's industrial cluster model to enhance the competitiveness of the domestic innovation ecosystem. This move echoes the "Asia Silicon Valley" and "smart machinery" policies promoted by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government in recent years, showing that room for consensus still exists between the two parties on the path of industrial development.

Smart transportation was another focus of the talks. San Francisco's recently implemented autonomous driving test zones and shared micro-electric vehicle programs are regarded as a model for urban transportation transformation. The legislators pointed out that Taiwan already possesses mature experience in high-speed rail and urban mass rapid transit construction, but still has room for improvement in "last-mile" smart services. The two sides exchanged cases on data platform establishment, the formulation of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) standards, and the integration of public transportation with private innovation, expressing hope to introduce related technologies and management experience in the future under cross-strait or US-Taiwan cooperation frameworks.

The discussion on social welfare policies focused on how to apply technology to long-term care and health management. San Francisco has launched pilot projects utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to assist in home care, enhancing elderly safety and the efficiency of medical resource allocation. The KMT legislators stated that Taiwan is facing the challenges of an aging population and a surge in care demands, and urgently needs to draw on advanced international practices to combine smart healthcare with social welfare, thereby building a more flexible care system. This issue also echoes recent discussions in the Legislative Yuan regarding the review of the Long-Term Care 2.0 policy, highlighting the importance of cross-departmental cooperation.

The backdrop of this US visit, aside from broadening the party's policy perspective, is also closely tied to the upcoming 2028 presidential and legislative elections. Following its setbacks in last year's elections, the KMT is actively seeking new policy platforms and entry points for international cooperation to reshape an image of being "pragmatic and innovative." Through interactions with the San Francisco City Government, the party hopes to demonstrate its policy thinking under globalization and technological trends to voters, thereby striving for the support of young voters and the tech industry.

Overall, the delegation of KMT legislators' visit to the San Francisco City Government is not only a diplomatic and ceremonial interaction, but also a concrete policy reference and learning opportunity. Multi-layered dialogues spanning technological innovation, smart transportation, and social welfare demonstrate that Taiwan still plays a significant role in the global innovation network, and remind all parties of the need to balance international experience with local demand during policymaking. If the takeaways from this trip can be translated into concrete legislative or administrative actions in the future, it will generate a positive impact on Taiwan's startup industry and public welfare.