Taiwan security, drones top agenda in Han Kuo-yu's US agenda

Taiwan Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) led a cross-party delegation to Washington last week for high-level meetings focused on Taiwan's security and bilateral cooperation.

The seven-member delegation visited the United States from June 21 to 27. Speaking upon his return to Taiwan, Han said the trip had produced "substantial achievements" in parliamentary diplomacy. 

He outlined four key outcomes: strengthening Taiwan-US legislative exchanges, joining celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of US independence, conveying Taiwanese businesses' concerns to US officials, and attending the launch of EVA Air's first nonstop service between Taipei and Washington, D.C.

Diplomatic gains

Senior opposition lawmaker Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) of the Kuomintang (KMT), who joined the delegation, told TCN the visit was a diplomatic success. 

Lai said the delegation held talks with US House Speaker Mike Johnson, as well as several senators and House members, demonstrating the continued deepening of Taiwan-US parliamentary ties.

Lai added that the delegation also met officials from the US executive branch, although he declined to identify them due to confidentiality.

"For a country that does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with the US, achieving exchanges of this level and scale is no easy accomplishment," Lai said.

He added that US officials attached considerable importance to the visit by the head of Taiwan's legislature. 

Both executive branch officials and members of Congress responded positively to the delegation's proposals and expressed willingness to address Taiwan's concerns, Lai said.

A signal of US support for Taiwan

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), who was persionally invited by Han to join the delegation, told TCN the cross-party visit demonstrated the maturity and stability of Taiwan's democratic system.

Lawmakers from different political parties were able to jointly represent Taiwan's national interests and communicate with the US on issues affecting bilateral relations, he said.

Chen described the trip as a substantive exercise in parliamentary diplomacy.

"From Congress and the executive branch to leading think tanks, we consistently sensed the high level of importance the US attaches to Taiwan's security, peace across the Taiwan Strait, and stability in the Indo-Pacific," he said.

Han's visit after the Trump-Xi summit

Chang Yuan-hsiang (張元祥), a political scientist at Soochow University, told TCN that Han's US visit marked an unprecedented achievement for Taiwan-US relations and legislative diplomacy.

Chang stated that Washington's decision to publicly invite Han and accord him a high-level reception shortly after the Trump-Xi summit, and before Chinese President Xi Jinping's (習近平) expected return visit, carried strategic significance.

According to Chang, the move allowed the US to reassert its initiative in triangular relations among the US, China and Taiwan, while countering perceptions following the Trump-Xi meeting that Washington was tilting toward Beijing.

Chang also said Washington is likely to reassess its channels of engagement with Taiwan and place greater emphasis on cultivating direct relationships with opposition parties and lawmakers, creating trusted communication channels with Taiwan's legislature.

Focus of the exchanges

During the delegation's June 24 meetings with US lawmakers, discussions covered Taiwan-US defense industrial cooperation, joint drone production, and bilateral trade and economic ties.

Lai said Washington delivered two clear messages during the visit.

“First, US officials hope Taiwan will continue increasing its defense budget to strengthen its self-defense capabilities. Second, they place significant importance on the development of Taiwan's drone capabilities,” Lai said.

He said both Congress and the executive branch agreed that Taiwan should actively build its drone force. 

As for whether related funding comes from the annual budget or a special budget, Lai said the US side would respect Taiwan's decision and leave the issue to Taiwan's legislative process.

Taiwan's defense

Chen said meetings throughout the visit moved beyond general discussions into concrete exchanges on Taiwan's defense resilience, defense cooperation, supply chain security, avoidance of double taxation, and future industrial and security cooperation.

He noted that unmanned systems, asymmetric warfare, artificial intelligence, sensor technologies, command-and-control systems, and defense industrial supply chains were repeatedly highlighted.

"This reflects that the US now views Taiwan's defense not only in terms of traditional arms sales, but also through the broader lens of defense resilience and defense industrial capacity," Chen said.

He added that Taiwan-US relations have evolved beyond individual arms sales or trade issues into a long-term partnership built on democratic values, security cooperation, and shared interests.

Chen said he also proposed that future Taiwan-US defense cooperation should evolve beyond equipment procurement toward joint investment, joint production, and joint training.

He said arms sales, technology transfers, industrial cooperation and personnel training should be integrated into a more comprehensive partnership.

Progress on arms sales

Lai said the delegation also urged US officials to accelerate approval of pending letters of offer and acceptance (LOAs) for arms sales.

Taiwan's legislature approved a special defense budget in May authorizing up to NT$780 billion (approximately US$25 billion) for military procurement from the US.

According to Lai, LOAs covering the first batch of purchases worth about US$11 billion have already been completed, while approval of the second batch, valued at roughly US$14 billion, remains pending.

The delegation therefore urged the Trump administration to expedite the approval process so that subsequent arms sales could proceed without delay, Lai said.

He added that US officials responded positively and pledged to help advance the process.

US-China-Taiwan relations

Chen said another major topic during the meetings was how to assess whether dialogue with China is producing meaningful results.

While maintaining communication is important, he said, dialogue should reduce risks, build mutual trust, and produce concrete, verifiable outcomes.

"If dialogue continues while China's military pressure on Taiwan, air and maritime incursions, gray-zone activities, and other coercive measures remain unchanged, then we must seriously ask whether such dialogue has truly changed Beijing's behavior or merely provided China with additional room to maneuver," Chen said.

Looking toward 2028

Chang said Han's US visit could have significant implications for Taiwan's future political landscape.

He described Han's political career as characterized by the ability to capitalize on favorable circumstances while making comebacks during adversity.

Chang said Han is likely interested in making another presidential bid but will proceed with greater caution, particularly as Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) has already expressed clear presidential ambitions and Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) remains another popular potential contender within the KMT.

According to Chang, the high-level reception Han received in Washington helped dispel the "pro-China" label that, Chang said, the DPP has long sought to attach to him.

Chang said the visit instead positioned Han as a politician viewed as "pro-US, capable of engaging with the mainland, and popular with voters."

As a result, Han has once again emerged as a competitive potential opposition candidate for Taiwan's 2028 presidential election, rather than merely serving as a coalition partner, giving the KMT an additional strategic option, Chang said.

For now, Chang said, it is still too early to focus on the 2028 race.

Quoting a traditional Chinese maxim, he said Han's most advantageous strategy at this stage is to "build high walls, store abundant grain, and delay proclaiming oneself king" — in other words, to strengthen his political foundation while avoiding prematurely declaring his ambitions.