President Tsai Ing-wen is soon to embark on a state tour, visiting Central American allies and making two stopovers in the U.S. Her first transit will be in New York, where she’ll be staying at the Lotte New York Palace in Manhattan. Ahead of her visit, many Taiwanese Americans are doing their best to arrange meetings between Tsai and U.S. officials.
Chen Yen-ling
FTV reporter
President Tsai Ing-wen is about to embark on a tour of Central America, with a transit in New York. FTV has an exclusive on the hotel she’ll be staying at: the Lotte New York Palace.
President Tsai will be staying at the Lotte New York Palace in bustling Midtown Manhattan. It’s close to attractions like the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center, and has convenient transport and a long history. The hotel’s most notable feature is its 55-story skyscraper.
Taili Lee
Architect
The views to the west are fantastic. The rooms overlook all of Manhattan. The hotel is also very close to Taiwan’s representative office in New York. So its location and transport options make it very easy to meet Taiwanese expats and get around.
Over in the U.S., Taiwan’s diplomats are busy making arrangements for Tsai’s visit. Not only that, many Taiwanese Americans are lobbying members of Congress to meet Tsai during her transit.
The man speaking with the governor of New York and other officials is Ming Chiang, the president of Hello Taiwan. Chiang migrated to the U.S. with his father when he was 12 years old. Besides his main job running a furniture business, he spends a lot of time promoting Taiwan.
Ming Chiang
Hello Taiwan president
There are little Taiwans in the background, and big characters saying “Taiwan” on top. Then it also says Taiwan over here. When people see it, they know I’m representing Taiwan.
Chiang wears his support for Taiwan not just on his tie. His jacket also carries the word “Taiwan” on his chest. This is the outfit he likes to wear when meeting government officials, to leave a deep impression.
Ming Chiang
Hello Taiwan president
When they told us that the president might visit, I started letting members of Congress know that President Tsai was coming to New York, and that maybe there should be a meeting. The Chinese consulate still tries to stir up trouble for us however.
Fighting ceaseless oppression from China, Chiang has to think outside the box. For example, for the annual Mets Taiwan Day, he created a limited-edition jersey saying “Taiwan” alongside the number 1. He then presented it as a gift to top government officials.
Ming Chiang
Hello Taiwan president
If they post pictures of the jersey it’s like a sign that they wholeheartedly support Taiwan.
Among the officials that posted pictures of the jersey are former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. For Chiang, these photos reflect the deepening of Taiwan-U.S. relations.
