Fu Yi-chieh, New York correspondent for the United Daily News, noted that this was the first overseas trip for a premier under the government of the Democratic Progressive Party. Unlike previous stopovers in the US by ROC leaders, when Taipei had to comply with American requests to "keep it low-key," Chang's visits to New York, Los Angeles, and Hawaii were all very high-profile affairs.
聯合報紐約記者傅依傑特別為文指出，這是民進黨政府的閣揆首次出訪，且突破往年華府限制或台北「自我設限」，以高規格過境美國紐約、洛杉磯、夏威夷三地，在政治與外交上具指標意義。