WASHINGTON — Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun, whose party favors closer ties with Beijing, said Friday that the Kuomintang remains committed to defending the self-governed island. She argued, however, that lasting peace is achievable if permanent independence is removed from the equation.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Washington, Cheng said the Kuomintang’s position aligns in part with President Donald Trump’s comments following his May trip to Beijing, when he said he was not seeking to support Taiwan independence or enter a war far from U.S. shores.
“I think our basic stances are the same — that is peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and to avoid any unnecessary war,” Cheng said after a three-day stop in the U.S. capital, where she held meetings with lawmakers and policy experts.
Cheng added that she also met with representatives of the Trump administration, though she declined to provide further details.
Her Washington visit was part of a two-week U.S. trip aimed at promoting her party’s approach to cross-strait relations, at a moment of growing uncertainty in ties between Washington and Taipei. Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned that mishandling the Taiwan issue could trigger conflict, while Beijing continues to insist the island is part of China and has said it would use force if necessary to achieve what it calls reunification.
Meanwhile, Congress has moved to strengthen Taiwan’s defenses by giving preliminary approval to a $14 billion arms sales package. The Trump administration has not yet signed off on the proposal.
Cheng, who met Xi in Beijing in April and whose party agrees that both sides of the strait belong to the same Chinese nation, has been promoting dialogue with Beijing. She said it is necessary for peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
Beijing has cut off official contact with Taipei’s government for the past decade, because Taiwan’s ruling party does not recognize the “One China” principle.
“To initiate the dialogue cross-strait with Xi Jinping doesn’t mean that we will give up the deterrence strength in Taiwan, and, of course, it doesn’t mean that we will compromise or give up our democracy and freedom,” Cheng said, dismissing accusations that she was doing Beijing’s bidding.
Asked about her meeting with Xi, Cheng described the Chinese leader as “very gentle and very nice and very real” and said she believed Xi wanted to address the Taiwan issue “with peaceful means and avoid war.”
But the Taiwanese government has pointed out Beijing’s increasingly bellicose behavior in the Taiwan Strait, including regular military operations around Taiwan in the past several years.
While the U.S. recognizes Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China, it opposes any use of force in altering the status quo. It also is obligated by a U. S. law to provide the island with sufficient hardware to deter any invasion. In December, the Trump administration approved an $11 billion arms sales package to Taiwan.
Trump has indicated that he may still speak with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te even after China has publicly urged him not to do so.
Washington has been disappointed that Taiwan’s opposition-controlled legislature last month passed a $25 billion special defense budget to fund major U.S. arms purchases, down from the original $40 billion proposed by Lai.
On Friday, Cheng said her party objected to the initial proposal because it couldn’t write a “blank check” for a proposal lacking details but put forward an interim measure to prioritize purchases of U.S. weapons.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, met Cheng on Thursday and wrote on social media that Cheng’s party needs to join with Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party to “finish the defense budget and support the Alaska LNG project.”
Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., met her Wednesday and said in a statement that the opposition party’s “resistance to a robust defense budget raises concerns for me that the party is drifting closer” to the ruling Chinese party and “weakening deterrence.”
Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., who met Cheng on Wednesday, said in a statement that he is willing to engage with leaders from all parties and pledged his commitment to “supporting Taiwan’s sovereignty and expanding the U.S.-Taiwan relations.”
