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Taiwan’s main opposition leader Cheng Li-wun said Monday she hopes to “gain deeper trust” from the U.S. ahead of a visit expected to draw questions over her party’s China policy and defense spending stance.
Cheng, chairwoman of the Kuomintang, spoke to reporters before departing for the U.S., saying her party aims to play a key role in regional peace efforts.
“Only the KMT is truly serious and responsible in taking on the most important role of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Cheng said.
Cheng’s visit to the U.S. comes two months after what she described as a “peace” visit to Beijing, where she met Chinese President Xi Jinping.
It was the first such meeting in a decade.
Her U.S. trip also comes weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump’s summit with Xi in the Chinese capital.
The visit is expected to bring scrutiny over the KMT’s stance on China and defense issues.
The KMT recently blocked the Taiwanese government’s plan to spend nearly $40 billion on critical weapons, including U.S. arms and domestically produced drones.
Cheng has drawn criticism since her unexpected rise to the top of the party last year, with critics accusing her of being too pro-China.
The KMT has long supported closer relations with China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it.
Cheng’s cross-strait rhetoric has gone beyond the comfort zone of many within her own party and caused unease among foreign partners, including Washington.
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