Taipei: Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun is set to depart Taipei for the United States on June 1 for a two-week trip focused on promoting "normalization of cross-strait peace," a source familiar with the arrangements told CNA on Sunday.
According to Focus Taiwan, Cheng's delegation is expected to include KMT International Affairs Department chief Tung Chia-yu and Wennie Wu, head of the party's Overseas Department. The visit will commence on the West Coast, although the specific cities have not been disclosed. Cheng will then proceed to the East Coast, with planned stops in New York, Washington, D.C., and Boston, where she is scheduled to meet with U.S. politicians and think tank representatives. The trip will conclude with meetings involving overseas Taiwanese communities on the West Coast. The itinerary is being organized by the KMT's representative to the U.S., Victor Chin, in collaboration with Tung's department.
Cheng's inaugural visit to the U.S. as KMT chair aims to address the "normalization of peace across the Taiwan Strait" and seeks a "sustainable solution for cross-strait peace." Details about Cheng's visit surfaced shortly after Raymond Greene, the top U.S. representative to Taiwan, expressed that many American politicians and scholars are eager to meet her to assess whether the KMT is undergoing a shift in its political orientation. Greene noted that while Americans often associate the KMT with Chiang Kai-shek and the anti-communism movement, foreign policy experts view the party as centrist, balancing defense ties with the U.S. while engaging Beijing to maintain the status quo.
Recently, international media reports have suggested that the KMT may be adopting positions similar to those of the CCP on critical diplomatic and security matters, potentially neglecting U.S. or Japanese interests. Greene emphasized that the visit presents an opportunity for the KMT to address these concerns and clarify its stance on pressing issues such as investments in Taiwan's defense industrial base.
In response, Yin Nai-ching, director of the KMT's Culture and Communications Committee, reiterated that the KMT has consistently upheld the Constitution of the Republic of China, Taiwan's official name, and opposed Taiwan independence. She emphasized that the party's long-standing approach aligns with U.S. interests in maintaining stability across the Taiwan Strait.