Why the Road to Taiwan's Presidency Runs Through Washington
- Candidates must make cross-Pacific play for security support
- Chu stumps in Washington despite facing long odds at home
Eric Chu, Chairman of Taiwan's Kuomintang, in Virginia on Nov. 11.
Photographer: Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
With just weeks to go before Taiwan picks its next president, both candidates might be expected to be crisscrossing the island picking up votes. Instead, Eric Chu -- the ruling Kuomintang Party’s nominee -- is in Washington, 12,600 kilometers (7,800 miles) away.
Chu’s five-day U.S. trip, which includes stops in ethnic Chinese enclaves in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, is all the more remarkable considering the New Taipei mayor is trailing far behind opposition leader Tsai Ing-wen in opinion polls. He entered the race last month after his party abruptly dumped its unpopular candidate.