U.S. envoy meets KMT chair ahead of cross-party arms procurement talks

Taipei, April 22 (CNA) The United States' de facto ambassador to Taiwan met with Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) Wednesday on the eve of planned cross-party negotiations in the Legislature on a stalled defense budget for U.S. arms procurement.

Both the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and Cheng took to social media to highlight their meeting, which took place at KMT headquarters.

AIT Director Raymond Greene and Cheng stated 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," according to the AIT's Facebook post.

In her post, Cheng said that "both sides emphasized that cross-Strait peace is not only vital for regional stability, but also in the core interests of the international community."

"Cross-Strait relations should continue to be advanced through dialogue and peaceful development," Cheng continued.

According to a separate AIT Facebook post, Greene met with former KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) last week, during which he discussed the enduring U.S. support for Taiwan and reaffirmed the mutual benefits of strong ties between the two sides.

The meeting between Greene and Cheng occurred as a special defense budget remains stalled in the Legislature, causing debate over Taiwan's military spending and how best to prevent conflict.

President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) proposed the eight-year NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.66 billion) budget covering 2026-2033 in November, but opposition parties have put forward alternative proposals ranging from NT$380 billion to NT$400 billion in funding.

Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) will hold cross-party talks Thursday on the proposals, after a similar session last week failed to produce substantive discussion.