The leader of Taiwan’s main opposition party said Friday she hopes to maintain engagement with the United States on the island’s defence capabilities, speaking on a two-week U.S. visit aimed at growing trust with Washington. Addressing reporters in the US capital, Kuomintang chairwoman Cheng Li-wun said the party has expressed support for Taiwan’s defence capabilities and hopes “to continue maintaining and deepening our co-operation with the US in this regard.” She did not comment specifically about a US$14 billion U.S. arms sale to Taiwan that remains under review. Such sales are a thorny issue between Washington and Beijing. Cheng in April became the first KMT leader in a decade to visit Beijing and meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, and her U.S. trip comes just weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump himself held a summit with Xi. The KMT, which has long advocated for closer ties with China, recently thwarted the Taiwanese government’s plan to spend nearly $40 billion on critical weapons such as U.S. arms and domestically produced drones. In Washington, the KMT comes up against concerns over its more pro-engagement position, compared with President Lai Ching-te’s Democratic Progressive Party. Cheng has rocked Taiwanese politics since her unexpected rise to the top of the party last year and drawn criticism for being too pro-China. Beijing claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it. On Friday, Cheng hit back at critics, saying that “seeking peaceful dialogue across the Taiwan Strait does not mean abandoning Taiwan’s defense capabilities.” She added that she met nine members of Congress during her visit, alongside academics and others, touting the trip as a success. She said Trump’s recent warning to the island against making a declaration of independence was also aligned with the KMT’s positions. After wrapping up his state visit to Beijing last month, Trump said in an interview that “I’m not looking to have somebody go independent. And, you know, we’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I’m not looking for that.” Cheng’s itinerary also included stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and New York.
