TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The head of the opposition Kuomintang announced Monday (April 20) that she plans to visit the United States in June. Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said "heavyweight" members of Congress have repeatedly invited her, but acknowledged her team has not yet begun formal contact. The contradiction raises questions about her strategy, months before Taiwan's local elections in November and days after her meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平).
Speaking during an interview on the online program "HistoryBro Show 2.0" (歷史易起SHOW 2.0), hosted by YouTuber Lee Yi-hsiu (李易修), Cheng dismissed rumors that she would be unable to meet U.S. lawmakers. "Why do some people say I won't be able to meet members of Congress when I go to Washington?" she said. "In fact, we already have quite heavyweight American members of Congress who have more than once expressed hope that I would hurry up and go."
Cheng did not name any U.S. officials who had extended invitations. She said her team would schedule the visit during the U.S. congressional session and aim for meetings at the highest level possible, adding that official meetings in Washington were certain. "Of course, the higher the better — we'll try our best," she said.
The announcement comes days after Cheng returned from a high-profile trip to China, where she met with the general secretary of the Communist Party of China. Cheng said she hopes to bring her impressions from that meeting to the United States. "I very much hope to bring my thoughts, as well as many of my feelings and ideas from this trip to Beijing to meet General Secretary Xi Jinping, to America," she said.
Her central message, she said, is that the world should not return to Cold War-era divisions. "This is the clear message I want to convey — the world should not return to the Cold War," Cheng said. She called for different civilizations to coexist through mutual respect rather than "a zero-sum game of who destroys whom, who beats whom."
Cheng also addressed skepticism about her understanding of U.S. interests. "I once joined the Democratic Progressive Party, I once advocated for Taiwan independence, I studied in America, and I also studied in Britain," she said. "Someone like me would not fail to understand the importance of America, and would not fail to value America's influence — otherwise I'd be an idiot."
The planned U.S. visit follows controversy over the KMT's application for funding from the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (台灣民主基金會) for Cheng's China trip. Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), who serves as the foundation's vice chairman, called the application "contradictory" Monday. Lin noted that Xi has sanctioned the foundation and designated it a "Taiwan independence organization."
Lin said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs allocates NT$30 million (around US$952,000) annually to the foundation for party diplomacy. He emphasized that the KMT's application has not been formally submitted and the process remains incomplete. "There is still room for discussion," Lin said. The foundation is chaired by Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), speaker of the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan's parliament, and a KMT member.
The foundation stated April 16 that the KMT's proposal would "promote Taiwan's freedom and democracy concepts to China" and was being processed according to standard guidelines. KMT Cultural and Communications Committee Director Yin Nai-ching (尹乃菁) previously said the funding request was a legal application for party exchange activities.
The June timeframe would place Cheng's visit in the early stages of campaign season for Taiwan's Nov. 28 local elections — with key questions still unanswered. Will KMT heavyweights join her Washington trip? Will U.S. lawmakers agree to meet her? And will her recent outreach to Beijing help or hurt her party at the polls? ◼ (At time of reporting, US$1 equals approximately NT$31.50)