Overview
- Cheng Li‑wun left for a two‑week U.S. visit on Monday and will stop in San Francisco, Boston, New York, Washington and Los Angeles to meet lawmakers, think tanks and overseas Taiwanese.
- She told reporters she would be “very willing” to meet President Donald Trump, a remark that touches on a long‑standing U.S. convention since 1979 against presidential contact with Taiwan’s leaders.
- Washington meetings scheduled include closed‑door sessions at major think tanks, congressional briefings and a visit to the American Institute in Taiwan’s Washington office where officials expect to press her on policy intentions.
- U.S. and Taipei attention will focus on the KMT’s recent cut of roughly one‑third from a proposed ~$40 billion arms plan and its impact on drones, domestic equipment and reliance on U.S. weapons for deterrence.
- Cheng’s trip follows her April meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing and will be read as a signal about whether the KMT’s push for dialogue with China can coexist with the robust defence posture U.S. policymakers say is needed to deter conflict.