Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday said she plans to visit the US in June, where she is to meet with political figures, think tanks and members of the Taiwanese diaspora to spread her message of cross-strait peace.
Cheng, who met with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing earlier this month, said in a radio interview yesterday that she would discuss her meeting with Xi on her trip to the US, emphasizing the two leaders’ intentions to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait and ensure regional stability.
She vowed to present a new direction for cross-strait relations that would also align with US interests.
Photo: Screengrab from ILikeRadioFM103’s YouTube channel
Taiwan should not have to choose between China and the US, she said.
The trip is expected to last about 10 days, she said, adding that she hoped to visit cities with large Taiwanese populations to engage with the diaspora.
Asked whether she would meet with US Department of State officials, Cheng said she has been in discussions with the US to arrange an itinerary, but it is not yet convenient to disclose the details.
In meetings with US and foreign officials, she said she would discuss strategic issues “much larger and much more critical” than the defense budget, which has been stalled in the opposition-dominated legislature for months.
Asked whether the US and Western nations are concerned that Taiwan is getting “too close” to China, and as a result no longer needs the US, Cheng said that Taiwan no longer needing the US is “impossible.”
Most international observers remain optimistic and supportive of the move, encouraging dialogue across the Taiwan Strait to lower risk and ensure stability, she said.
Peace across the Strait would also be in the best interests of the US, she said, adding that she aims to explain to her US counterparts that advancing relations with China does not mean “turning our back on the US.”
Cheng was also asked whether Taiwan would be a key topic when Xi and US President Donald Trump meet next month.
Taiwan should not be a bargaining chip for China, she said.
Cheng said she believes Beijing would continue to uphold its “one China” policy and oppose Taiwanese independence, although there is room for Taiwan to build cooperation and friendly relations under this premise.
China would not want Taiwan to become the primary focus of the upcoming presidential meeting, as Beijing is now more confident, stronger and has greater leverage, she added.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
The Grand Hotel Taipei has rejected media reports claiming that the hotel had prevented CBS from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on its premises. Media reports alleging that the hotel owner, dissatisfied with CBS’s coverage, prohibited the network from broadcasting political content on the hotel premises, are not true, the hotel said in a statement issued last night. The reports were “inconsistent with how the hotel actually handled the matter,” it said. The hotel said it received a refund request from a
RSS