TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) election as KMT chair has raised concerns over US relations and is expected to intensify political divisions in Taiwan, the Financial Times reported Friday.
Cheng, 55, a former legislator, won the party leadership with 50% of the vote, defeating establishment favorite Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) and four others. She begins her four-year term on Nov. 1, pledging to “rebirth” the KMT and achieve cross-strait peace.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping congratulated Cheng and hoped the KMT would work with the CCP toward “national unification.” Cheng has publicly stressed warmer ties with Beijing, warning against overreliance on the US.
Her approach contrasts sharply with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), who has called for defense spending to rise to 3.32% of GDP next year, following US pressure. Cheng countered that Taiwan “cannot afford it,” raising concerns in Washington.
Analysts say her election reflects disenchantment among KMT members with the party’s established leaders. “What differentiated Cheng from other candidates was that she avoided criticizing Beijing,” said Tso Chen-dong (左正東), political science professor at National Taiwan University.
Cheng has also emphasized Chinese identity, saying she wants all Taiwanese to proudly “call themselves Chinese.” While some KMT supporters embrace this, critics argue it risks alienating voters who strongly identify as Taiwanese.
Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation Chair You Ying-lung (游盈隆) warned on social media, “If she keeps saying things like ‘we are all Chinese,’ the KMT is doomed.”
Others have defended Cheng, noting her pro-peace stance without compromising sovereignty. National Taipei University professor Liu Jia-wei (劉嘉薇) said, “She’s not pro-China. She’s advocating for peace, but without letting Taiwan lose its sovereignty.”
Cheng faces internal party challenges, including unifying a deeply divided KMT. Several city mayors and county politicians supported her rivals and she has proposed reforms such as a shadow cabinet to encourage “healthy competition of policies and proposals.”
Financial and parliamentary hurdles loom as well. KMT official Tony Lin (林鼎超) said fundraising remains a key challenge and Cheng must also work with the TPP to leverage the opposition’s legislative majority for key votes.
Observers say her leadership could further polarize Taiwan’s political landscape. Dafydd Fell, a Taiwan specialist at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, noted Cheng is unlikely to build bridges with the DPP.
“I don’t see much room for consensus between the two sides with Cheng at the helm of the KMT,” Fell said.
