Former Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen has made her first visit to the United States since leaving office, placing the emphasis on defence technology and Silicon Valley's venture capital circles — a positive signal for Taiwan-US relations.

• The week-long itinerary centred on two events at Stanford University, with a defence technology conference and a think tank discussion drawing more than a thousand attendees.
• The audience included former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, and a large contingent from defence and technology circles.
• A second major thread was public and closed-door exchanges with Silicon Valley's technology and venture capital community, with the hope that Silicon Valley's experience can flow back to Taiwan.
• Analysts believe technology, finance and geopolitics are becoming increasingly intertwined, and that Silicon Valley is emerging as an intermediate hub linking Taipei and Washington.
• Asked what Taiwan can contribute besides semiconductors, Tsai replied, "Semiconductors aren't enough," stressing that there is far more room for cooperation.

Outlook: The trip is seen as the starting point for Tsai Ing-wen to take on a larger international role, and observers expect her to continue along the "elder statesman" path of a former head of state.