A US delegation from Stanford's Hoover Institution met Taichung mayor Lu Shiow-yen, a modest but positive sign for deeper Taiwan-US industrial and security ties.

• Retired four-star admiral James Ellis and democracy scholar Larry Diamond led the visit, talking supply chains, drones, and city governance.
• Ellis commanded a US carrier strike group during the 1996 Taiwan Strait crisis and has stayed close to the region since.
• Taichung pitched its semiconductor, precision machinery, aerospace, optics, and AI clusters as a natural fit for American partners, with robotics and unmanned vehicles the growth targets.
• Ellis handed over historical photos of Taichung from Hoover's archives, a nod to 1950s US technical aid that helped rebuild Taiwan's postwar economy.

Outlook: Expect Taichung to court more US industry and research tie-ups, especially around drones and AI hardware.