Crazy scenes at LA airport as Taiwanese mayor Han Kuo-yu gets rock star welcome

Taiwan mayor Han Kuo-yu landed at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday (April 12) as part of a US tour aimed at raising his profile ahead of the island’s presidential elections next year.

Han, widely seen as pro-Beijing, was given a rock star's welcome as he was greeted by hordes of noisy supporters carrying placards.

The Kaohsiung mayor has been tipped as the favorite to win the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential nomination - if he decides to run.

His nine-day US trip takes in Boston, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley.

The Kaohsiung city government said in a statement that Han would use the trip to “seek to encourage US investment in Kaohsiung,” reports said.