KMT chair exchanges views with U.S. lawmakers, experts on Taiwan security

Washington/Taipei, June 12 (CNA) Kuomintang (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) discussed Taiwan's security, defense policy and cross-strait relations with U.S. lawmakers and policy experts during a series of meetings in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, according to KMT Representative to the U.S. Victor Chin (秦日新).

Cheng met with Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Republican Representative Don Bacon of the House Armed Services Committee, and Republican Representative Young Kim, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific.

Speaking after the meetings, Cheng described the exchanges as productive and thanked the U.S. lawmakers for their support for Taiwan.

According to Chin, discussions covered Taiwan's defense spending, military readiness, arms procurement, and China's growing military pressure on Taiwan.

Sullivan was particularly interested in Taiwan's defense budget and preparedness, Chin said, adding that Cheng reiterated the KMT's position that lawmakers require sufficient information from both Washington and Taipei to properly assess major defense procurement programs.

During her meeting with Kim, the two also discussed Taiwan's special defense budget and Cheng's recent visit to China, Chin said.

Cheng later visited the Washington-based Stimson Center, where she detailed her views on cross-strait relations, Taiwan's security, U.S.-Taiwan ties, arms purchases and the KMT's future policy direction in a 90 minute closed-door meeting.

According to Chin, attendees were intrigued by Cheng's recent trip to China and her views on how to build lasting peace across the Taiwan Strait, in particular.

Riley Walters, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute who attended the meeting, said Cheng appeared intent on becoming a key player in cross-strait relations and in the broader Washington-Taipei-Beijing dynamic.

Her recent trips to China and the United States, he said, were evidence of that ambition and reflected an effort to demonstrate that she is capable of conducting political dialogue at the national level.

The meetings in Washington were part of Cheng's two-week U.S. trip beginning on June 1, during which she is scheduled to meet lawmakers, government officials, scholars and members of the Taiwanese diaspora.

Separately, the KMT said in a Friday press release from Taipei that Cheng discussed cross-strait relations and defense policy in an interview with U.S. public broadcaster NPR.

According to the party, Cheng said she did not discuss unification during her recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), adding that the KMT's priority is to restore cross-strait dialogue and negotiations.

She argued that communication across the Taiwan Strait has largely been suspended over the past decade, contributing to "rising tensions," and said resuming dialogue is the most practical way to reduce risks and maintain stability.

Official communication mechanisms between Taipei and Beijing have been largely suspended since the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party assumed power in 2016.

Military and political tensions have also increased in recent years, with China stepping up military activities around Taiwan and conducting several large-scale exercises near the island, while Taiwan has boosted defense spending and strengthened security cooperation with the U.S. and other partners.