A delegation of Kuomintang lawmakers travelling to the United States to drum up support has been widely read as laying the groundwork for Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen's 2028 presidential bid — an early move to stake out position for the pan-blue camp, and a warning sign for the Democratic Progressive Party.

• Hsu Chiao-hsin is leading eight lawmakers on a 12-day US itinerary spanning four major cities on the east and west coasts.
• Also on the trip is "Lu's third son," who took a starring turn at an overseas Chinese community gathering in San Francisco, drawing further attention to Lu Shiow-yen's 2028 ambitions.
• Hsu Chiao-hsin declared on the spot that the party would "win back local government in 2026 and return to power in 2028," and pledged that if it takes office it will declassify DPP files kept secret for years.
• The delegation also visited Roblox in Silicon Valley to discuss online safety for children and young people and the regulation of AI-driven virtual environments, gathering material to bring back to the legislature as a reference for amending the law.
• Elsewhere, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim travelled to Italy to attend a European democracy forum, with her flights detouring around Chinese airspace in both directions and her aircraft's tracking signal switched off at one point; the journey took 27 hours by air, land and sea.

Outlook: The pan-blue camp will carry the results of the US trip into the 2026 local elections, while whether Lu Shiow-yen declares a 2028 run remains the biggest variable.