Foreign minister calls for non-partisan diplomacy ahead of KMT chair's U.S. trip

Taipei, May 25 (CNA) Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said Monday that diplomacy should transcend party lines and serve Taiwan's national interests, ahead of Kuomintang (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun's (鄭麗文) planned visit to the United States.

Lin made the remarks ahead of a Legislative Yuan Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee hearing, during which National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) delivered a report on the geopolitical impact of the recent U.S.-China leaders' meeting on Taiwan's diplomacy and national security.

Speaking to reporters before the hearing, Lin said diplomacy should not be divided along partisan lines but should represent Taiwan's national interests.

He said he hoped Cheng's visit would convey the government's policy position, adding that peace must be backed by strength and that both the government and the public are firmly committed to defending the country.

According to a source familiar with the matter on Sunday, Cheng is expected to visit the United States on June 1, traveling to major East and West Coast cities, with the trip focused on the "normalization of peace" in the Taiwan Strait.

Lin said China is the side undermining peace and altering the status quo through force and coercion, and urged unity in Taiwan to avoid falling into Beijing's "united front" efforts, pressure tactics and military intimidation.

He was also asked about U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks following his recent meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing, in which Trump said he would soon decide on a new round of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and would speak with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德).

Lin said Taiwan and the United States maintain institutional channels of communication, and that Taiwan has already received briefings from the U.S. government following the Trump-Xi meeting, during which Washington reaffirmed that its Taiwan policy had not changed.

Taiwan and the United States share a consistent position on maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, particularly in response to China's military threats, Lin said.

Any U.S. arms sales to Taiwan would continue to follow the Taiwan Relations Act and strengthen Taiwan's defense capabilities, he added.

The key issue now is how to prevent China from continuing to alter the status quo and challenge peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Lin said, adding that Taiwan and the United States must work together to counter Chinese coercion.