TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said Taiwan should pursue meetings with Xi Jinping to preserve peace, while criticizing President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) special defense budget as excessive, Nikkei Asia reported.
Speaking on Monday at the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Cheng said a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping would be worthwhile if it promoted peace. “If a meeting with Xi can contribute to cross-strait peace, I would meet him a hundred times,” she said.
Cheng outlined her party’s approach to China and the US, saying the so-called 1992 Consensus and opposition to Taiwan independence form the sole foundation for peaceful exchanges. She added that Beijing must show goodwill and sincerity, while rejecting narratives suggesting Taiwan should “surrender” or adopt “one country, two systems.”
The KMT chair said her stance aims to maintain stability without compromising sovereignty. “Please stop telling such naive jokes — it's absolutely not like that,” she said, highlighting differences with the DPP, which rejects Beijing’s claims over Taiwan.
Cheng criticized Lai’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defense budget, saying it overstates US arms procurement and fails to account for the KMT’s smaller alternative — which rejects the DPP’s aim to create a non-red supply chain. Her party, together with the TPP, controls the legislature, delaying passage of Lai’s plan.
Cheng challenged claims by a senior US official that stalling the budget signals disregard for Taiwan’s defense. She called that a “significant misunderstanding,” noting that the KMT proposal covers just over NT$300 billion for arms purchases, with additional provisions allowing review of future acquisitions.
Cheng also defended her party against reports of internal tension. She said most KMT figures share her views on cross-strait relations and strategic policy. Meanwhile, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) has toured the US, signaling potential presidential ambitions in 2028.
On relations with the US, Cheng said Taiwan should maintain close strategic ties. She cited the KMT’s long-standing defense and security cooperation with Washington, dating back to World War II, while stressing that her approach balances peace with readiness.
Cheng’s political trajectory reflects a dramatic evolution. Once a DPP activist critical of KMT rule, she joined the party in 2005, accompanying then-leader Lien Chan (連戰) to meet Chinese leader Hu Jintao in China. She has since served as a legislator, cabinet spokesperson, and now party chair, gaining influence ahead of local elections in November.
