KMT chairwoman 
Cheng Li-wun opened a two-week US trip on Monday saying she would be "very willing" to meet 
Donald Trump on the same logic that brought her to a meeting with 
Xi Jinping earlier in her tenure — she will meet anyone "conducive to peace." The trip is framed as a trust-building exercise with Washington, the Hong Kong Free Press reported, and Deutsche Welle reported Cheng could face a grilling over her stance on China relations during the visit.
What is the stated aim? Cheng is using the two-week itinerary to "gain deeper trust" from US interlocutors, the Hong Kong Free Press reported, with the trip pitched as the KMT's first major US engagement under her chairmanship. The dual-track positioning — open to Washington, having already engaged Beijing — is the message, the Japan Times reported.
Why the Trump line matters? Cheng's "very willing" framing on a potential Trump meeting positions the KMT as ready to talk to whoever sits in the White House, the Japan Times reported. The line could complicate her US itinerary if interlocutors press her on the Xi meeting and the cross-strait posture it implied, Deutsche Welle reported.
What's the risk? A grilling on China relations is the main exposure during the visit, Deutsche Welle reported, with US counterparts likely to test Cheng on where the KMT now sits between Beijing engagement and US security alignment. Cheng's "conducive to peace" formulation is designed to keep both doors open without committing to either side, per the Japan Times' framing.
Figures referenced: Cheng Li-wun, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping. — JudgeMarket.
