TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Overseas Community Affairs Council on Wednesday denied KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) allegations that it was attempting to obstruct her upcoming visit to the US.
During an interview on Tuesday, Cheng claimed the OCAC had pressured overseas Taiwanese communities not to participate in activities related to her trip or assist her in contacting US officials and politicians, per UDN. She also alleged that figures linked to the DPP had lobbied members of Congress not to meet with her.
In response, the OCAC said staffing shortages and a lack of familiarity with Cheng’s itinerary made it impossible for it to interfere with her visit, per Liberty Times. The council added that Cheng’s accusations reflected the KMT’s “authoritarian-era mentality” and demanded that she apologize for making claims without evidence.
DPP Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) also criticized Cheng’s remarks, per Newtalk. He said the KMT’s credibility had already been damaged by previous accusations that President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) spied on the party’s vice chair, and called on the KMT to provide evidence supporting its latest allegations.
Discussing the purpose of her US trip, Cheng said she planned to focus on promoting peace across the Taiwan Strait. She argued that a growing number of US politicians and think tanks now favor reconciliation in US-China relations.
AIT Director Raymond Greene said on May 21 that Cheng may need to explain what he described as the KMT’s shift away from traditional allies such as the US and Japan toward positions more aligned with the CCP on key diplomatic and security issues, per NOWNews. Greene added that the visit could provide Cheng an opportunity to address those concerns.
Cheng described Greene’s comments as a misunderstanding and said they underscored why she needed to travel to the US, per NOWNews.
