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The mayor of New Taipei City, Hou You-yi, is on a four-day visit to Singapore from Apr. 19 to learn about the country's development and advance his “city diplomacy”, Focus Taiwan reported.

Hou, an ex-police officer, is widely regarded as one of the Kuomintang's (KMT) potential presidential nominees, according to the Taipei Times.

KMT is the biggest opposition party in Taiwan, and has governed Taiwan in the past. It favours closer ties with China. However, it has strongly denied being pro-Beijing and still opposes Chinese rule.

Taiwan is set to hold its presidential elections in January 2024.

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had earlier nominated Vice President William Lai Ching-te as their presidential candidate.

Taiwan & Singapore share similarities: Hou

In his pre-departure remarks, Hou said that it was imperative to help Taiwan expand its presence on the international stage amid challenges in the post-pandemic era, according to Focus Taiwan.

In a Facebook post dated Apr. 19, he detailed the reasons for his Singapore visit.

Hou noted that New Taipei City is a metropolis of over 4 million people, making it the most populous city in Taiwan.

He then stressed the importance of looking outwards and “making new friends”, allowing more people to pay attention to and value Taiwan.

Singapore and New Taipei City have long interacted closely with one another, Hou opined, adding that the visit was one of “city diplomacy”.

“The Republic of China (Taiwan's official name) and Singapore share many similarities, which is worth reflecting and mirroring.”

“Although Singapore’s land area is small, it has economic, industrial and diplomatic strength, which allowed it to build itself a safest fort, becoming a country with strong international influence and even more, an indispensable presence in the world”.

Hou also took note of the pressures that Taiwan was facing and hoped that the trip would allow the deepening of ties with its friends, while maintaining peace and prosperity for its people.

Itinerary

During his visit, Hou is expected to meet with Singaporean officials and discuss municipal affairs, according to a statement issued by the New Taipei City Government cited by Focus Taiwan.

He would also be attending business-related forums, visiting an innovation hub at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) which he called "the most important start-up base in Singapore," and calling on other companies, Taipei Times reported.

Political backdrop

Hou’s visit is expected to help him polish his credentials for his potential presidential bid, according to Focus Taiwan.

Back home, members of the ruling DPP accused him of dodging questions on his graft allegations.

DPP Taipei City Councillor Yen Wei-tzu said that Hou had departed for Singapore “in a hurry” after a former KMT accused the mayor of offering a bribe of NT$5 million (S$218,000) during the 2014 local elections.

DPP legislator Cho Kuan-ting questioned the secrecy of Hou’s itinerary in Singapore, as public funds were said to have been used for the trip, according to SET News.

Earlier in the month, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen met with United States House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a historic but politically-sensitive visit to the American continent amid pressures from China.

Around the same time, Taiwan’s former president Ma Ying-jeou, who is a senior member of KMT, completed a similar visit to China, who said that his visit was positively received.

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Top image via Facebook/侯友宜