Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan's largest opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT), said on Monday she would be "very willing" to meet U.S. President Donald Trump during a two-week trip to the United States that she began later the same day.
Cheng, speaking to reporters in Taipei, noted that since Taipei severed formal diplomatic relations with Washington in 1979, no Taiwanese leader had met with a sitting U.S. president. She stressed that her only official role was as KMT chairwoman but said she was open to engagements with leaders she regarded as important to preserving peace.
"I am of course very willing," Cheng said when asked whether she would meet Trump. She reiterated a principle she applied in her April visit to China, where she met President Xi Jinping: she is prepared to meet anyone who is "conducive to peace" and who holds a pivotal leadership position.
"The same applies to President Trump. Anything that is helpful to peace, I am willing to do; anyone who is helpful to peace, I am willing to meet - let alone the most critical decision-maker and leader, which is the president of the United States," she told reporters.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of office hours.
Cheng also commented on cross-strait relations and the contrasting stance of Taiwan's incumbent president. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has refused to speak with President Lai Ching-te, calling him a "separatist" and turning down his repeated offers of talks. Lai rejects Beijing's claims of sovereignty over Taiwan, saying only Taiwan's people can decide their future.
Cheng said she was encouraged to see China-U.S. ties moving in a more positive direction after the recent meeting between Trump and Xi in Beijing last month. She said her U.S. itinerary will include meetings with lawmakers as well as U.S. officials during a stopover in Washington, but she declined to disclose the identities of those she will meet, citing confidentiality.
On defence spending, Cheng reiterated that the KMT supports strengthening Taiwan's military, while noting a recent decision by the party. Last month the KMT, together with its small ally the Taiwan Peoples Party, cut by one-third government plans to spend an additional $40 billion on arms.
The United States has supported Taiwan's proposed increase in defence spending, particularly the portion the opposition trimmed that includes funding for drones and other domestically-manufactured equipment. Cheng said Taiwan's resilience does not rest solely on expanding military hardware but also requires dialogue with China "to thoroughly eliminate any possibility of military conflict or war."
Context and implications
Cheng's willingness to meet the U.S. president follows a pattern of outreach she described as focused on peace and high-level engagement. Her itinerary and the confidential nature of some meetings leave the specifics of U.S.-Taiwan contacts during the trip unclear. The KMT's modification of the government's planned arms increase underscores ongoing domestic debate over the scale and composition of Taiwan's defence investment.