KMT chair meets with AIT head, stresses role of Taiwan-U.S. ties in regional peace

Taipei, Nov. 13 (CNA) Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said Wednesday, in a meeting with the top United States envoy in Taipei, that relations between the U.S. and Taiwan play a crucial role in maintaining regional peace and stability and she hopes that Washington will continue to support bilateral ties.

The issues of stability across the Taiwan Strait and the importance of Taiwan-U.S. relations were discussed in the meeting between Cheng and a delegation led by American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene at the KMT headquarters in Taipei, the party said in a statement released Wednesday.

During the meeting, the KMT leader said that Taiwan-U.S. relations are of paramount importance and she hopes the U.S. will maintain bilateral ties, according to the statement. Only through steady communication and mutual trust can the two sides jointly uphold regional peace and stability, she was cited as saying.

Meanwhile, Greene stressed that the U.S. is committed to preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, an AIT spokesperson told CNA on Wednesday.

Greene also "reaffirmed U.S. support for cross-Strait dialogue and opposition to any unilateral changes to the status quo," the AIT said.

Greene and Cheng highlighted that cross-strait differences should be resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the Strait, the spokesperson said.

According to the KMT, the two sides affirmed their ability to engage in open and constructive dialogue on a range of issues and signaled a willingness for continued communication.

The AIT represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of official ties.