TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) rode a bus to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday, sparking speculation that she was afforded lower status during the visit.

When Cheng traveled to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing for the meeting with Xi, she arrived on a bus, per Newtalk. Media commentator Chang Ling-yu (詹凌瑀) said the arrangement could signal a lack of respect from China.

Chang explained that because Chinese bureaucratic culture places importance on how guests are received, making Cheng ride a bus may suggest she was not accorded the same status level. Writer Chao Hsiao-hui (趙曉慧) echoed the point, noting that when former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) met Xi in 2024, he rode in a bulletproof sedan rather than traveling with the rest of the delegation, per Tai Sounds.

When European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited China in July 2025, she also arrived at a meeting with Xi by bus, per UP Media. That meeting, which focused on trade imbalances and other issues, did not produce any major breakthroughs.

Cheng dismissed the criticism, saying commentators were missing the point. The China Times reported that the bus she rode is a domestically developed vehicle used for senior officials and foreign dignitaries. The paper added that the meeting’s location within the Great Hall of the People underscored its importance.

Former KMT Disciplinary Committee Chair Yeh Ching-yuan (葉慶元) added that Xi has used a similar bus in the past, per ETtoday.