Kuomintang Chairwoman 
Cheng Li-wun will depart Taipei for the United States on June 1 for a two-week trip aimed at promoting the "normalization of cross-strait peace," with stops on the West Coast and in New York, Washington and Boston. The delegation, drafted by the KMT's representative to the US Victor Chin and the party's International Affairs Department, is expected to meet US politicians, think tank scholars, and overseas Taiwanese communities, the Taipei Times reported.
Why does Washington want this meeting? Raymond Greene, the top US representative to Taiwan, said many American politicians and scholars were looking forward to meeting Cheng in person to determine whether the KMT is "fundamentally changing the party's political orientation" — per remarks the Taipei Times carried. Greene said international media reports have created the impression the KMT "has started to adopt or emulate CCP positions on key diplomatic and security issues" without sufficiently weighing US or Japanese interests, and called the visit an opportunity to address those concerns and clarify the KMT's stance on Taiwan's defense industrial base.
What questions await her? Cheng is known on Capitol Hill primarily for her opposition to a special defense budget; the slimmed-down version that passed the Legislative Yuan cut funding for local production of drones and missile defense, Brookings analyst Ryan Hass wrote in a Taipei Times column. Members of Congress will press her on whether Taiwan should invest in drones and other AI-enabled asymmetric capabilities, Hass wrote, while 
Donald Trump — who has never publicly commented on Cheng — is focused on ensuring Taiwan does not become an obstacle to his other China priorities.
How is the KMT positioning the trip? Yin Nai-ching, director of the KMT's Culture and Communications Committee, said the party has always upheld the Republic of China Constitution and opposes Taiwan independence, and its long-standing approach aligns with US interests in maintaining stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Figures referenced: Cheng Li-wun, Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
