By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-10-06 20:06:58 | Updated at 2026-10-06 22:15:54
2 hours ago
BURLINGAME, Calif.—Former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen arrived in the United States on Oct. 5 to a warm welcome from hundreds of people from across North America who gathered outside the Hyatt Regency hotel in Burlingame, California, where she was a guest.
Tsai’s flight landed at San Francisco International Airport around 7 p.m. The visit marks her first trip to the United States since leaving office.
She is scheduled on Oct. 7 to deliver the opening keynote address at the 2026 annual conference of Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation.
On Oct. 8, she is to speak at a forum on democracy, resilience, and global security at Stanford’s Hoover Institution.
Crowds Gather at Hotel
Supporters with welcome banners began to gather outside the hotel about four hours before Tsai’s arrival.
The Hyatt Regency in Burlingame is the same hotel where then-Vice President Lai Ching-te stayed during his U.S. visit in August 2023. At that time, supporters also gathered outside the hotel to welcome him. Lai is now the president of Taiwan.
Some of the people waiting for Tsai recalled that during Lai’s 2023 visit, a small group of pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) protesters stood across the street from the hotel, waving Chinese communist flags and chanting slogans hostile to Taiwan.
Three years later, those protesters were nowhere to be seen.
Other Tsai supporters were discussing the FBI’s recent arrest and prosecution of Zhang Wanying, who has been accused of acting on behalf of the CCP and secretly surveilling members of Lai’s family in the United States.
Around 7:30 p.m., Tsai’s motorcade arrived at the hotel entrance and the crowd greeted her with chants of “President Tsai, bravo, bravo, bravo!” and “President Tsai, number one.”
People gather outside the Hyatt Regency hotel in Burlingame, Calif., on Oct. 5, 2026, to welcome former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen during her first visit to the United States since leaving office. Chu Zhou/The Epoch Times
Supporters Thank Tsai
“We used to mention Taiwan, and people would think we were talking about Thailand,” Liu Lingxia, a Taiwanese Overseas Affairs Councilor in Northern California, told The Epoch Times. “But now everyone knows Taiwan as a very democratic and very successful country. … We are here to thank President Tsai for all the efforts she has made for Taiwan’s democracy and progress.”
Wu Bihui, president of the Northern California Taiwanese Association, told The Epoch Times, “President Tsai pulled Taiwan out of the situation where it was almost being locked into China and transformed it into an international Taiwan, a Taiwan of the world, giving us space to stand independently.”
Wu praised Tsai’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying Taiwan performed remarkably well despite its geographical proximity to China.
“She took very good care of Taiwan, especially during the pandemic,” Wu said. “There are not many places in the world that could be as close to China as Taiwan and still handle the pandemic so well. She helped save many Taiwanese lives.”
Wu Yiming, another Taiwanese Overseas Affairs Councilor in Northern California, told The Epoch Times that Tsai’s visit demonstrates the importance the U.S. government and Congress place on Taiwan as a democratic partner.
Former vice chairman of the California Republican Party Peter Guo, who was born in Taiwan, said he came to welcome Tsai because he hopes Taiwan’s democratic system can continue to advance without interference from the CCP. He told The Epoch Times he wanted to show his support for Taiwan’s democracy.
Taiwanese Overseas Affairs Councilor Wei Dezhen told The Epoch Times, “U.S.-Taiwan relations are currently very strong, but former President Tsai’s visit will further deepen the good relationship between Taiwan and the United States.”
Former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (C), Taiwanese Ambassador Yui Tah-ray (R), and Taiwanese Overseas Affairs Councilor in Northern California Wei Dezhen (L) outside the Hyatt Regency hotel in Burlingame, Calif., on Oct. 5, 2026. Chu Zhou/The Epoch Times
“We are big fans of President Tsai. Today is the closest I have ever been to her in my life, so I had to come,” said Wang Xuebi, a Taiwanese American from the East Bay who came with her friend Yeh Bowen.
“We love her so much because she is Taiwan’s first female president and a role model for women,” Yeh said.
Ken Hung, a board member of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs in Northern California, said he was particularly interested in Tsai’s appearance at Stanford.
“I’m really looking forward to hearing what former President Tsai will say at Stanford,” Hung said. “After all, Xi Jinping has just visited the United States.”
For many of the supporters outside the hotel, Tsai’s visit represented an opportunity to express appreciation for her presidency and to reaffirm their support for Taiwan’s democracy and its relationship with the United States.
