TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) will leave for an eight-day tour of the United States on Thursday (Sept. 14), which will include a visit to the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).

The Sept. 14-22 trip will take Hou to New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, SETN reported. His schedule also includes speeches at four think tanks, and meetings with members of Congress, overseas Taiwanese, and Taiwanese students.

The aim of his visit is to make the U.S. understand his platform, according to a KMT news release. Hou will also advocate deeper cooperation on arms deals and trade agreements, the opposition party said.

In New York, Hou is planning to meet The New York Times Executive Editor Joseph Kahn and be interviewed by Bloomberg News. Talks with AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger and discussions at the Brookings Institution and the Heritage Foundation are also on the agenda for his stay in Washington.

Following a visit to the capital to meet with Congress members, Hou will fly to San Francisco for meetings with technology innovators. His delegation includes KMT lawmakers and academics, the SETN report said.