TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — KMT Culture and Communications Committee Director Yin Nai-ching (尹乃菁) said Wednesday that KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) upcoming trip to the US will be fully funded by the party, denying reports that overseas Taiwanese supporters were asked to help cover expenses.
Liberty Times reported that Cheng’s 14-day US trip will include a delegation of 14 people, a group size matching those typically seen during presidential campaign visits. The report also alleged that the KMT hoped overseas Taiwanese organizations and individuals would help pay for lodging and meals, drawing complaints from Taiwanese communities overseas.
Overseas Taiwanese cited by the report said the size of the delegation created financial pressure on local communities already burdened by political donations and travel expenses for returning to Taiwan to vote. While they welcomed Cheng’s outreach to overseas KMT supporters, they said asking local communities to help pay for the trip was unusual and had not occurred under previous KMT chairs.
A KMT insider also questioned the size of the delegation, asking why such a large entourage was necessary for Cheng’s first US visit. Former KMT Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫) traveled with fewer than 10 people when he visited the US to unveil the party’s representative office there.
Responding to the reports, Yin said some individuals had voluntarily offered financial assistance for the trip, but the KMT thanked them and declined the offers, per UDN. She stressed that the party had already budgeted for the visit and did not require outside support.
Former KMT Legislator Chen I-hsin (陳以信), who helped organize Chu’s 2022 US trip, said the details described in the report did not align with either past practice or his understanding of current arrangements, per Newtalk. While he acknowledged that some overseas party members may voluntarily provide assistance, he said claims that the KMT’s overseas department was actively soliciting financial support from local communities appeared exaggerated.
Yin also said the party plans to apply for subsidies from the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, though she added that she was not directly familiar with the KMT’s overseas operations, per SETN.
The DPP legislative caucus said it welcomed efforts to increase Taiwan’s international visibility but cautioned the KMT against reducing defense spending after meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, per ETtoday. The caucus declined to comment directly on reports that overseas Taiwanese groups had been asked to cover costs for Cheng’s trip.
Responding to reports that banquets organized during the trip could include overseas Chinese participants, Yin said Chinese nationals and overseas Chinese individuals may attend in a personal capacity, per NOWNews. However, she stressed that the events would remain focused on overseas Taiwanese communities and organizations.
DPP Legislator Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) also commented on the controversy, suggesting that the inclusion of overseas Chinese participants reflected declining support for the KMT among overseas Taiwanese, per Liberty Times. He argued that the party’s opposition to the Cabinet’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.6 billion) defense spending proposal had alienated overseas Taiwanese across the political spectrum.
