EDITORIAL: Beijing’s calculated KMT invitationA delegation of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials led by Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) is to travel to China tomorrow for a six-day visit to Jiangsu, Shanghai and Beijing, which might end with a meeting between Cheng and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Earlier that day, a group of bipartisan US senators arrived in Taiwan to show support for the Cabinet’s eight-year NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.1 billion) special defense budget. In the interview, Lu cited a poll that showed that 61 percent of the public support increasing defense procurement, especially from the US. It is reasonable for the special defense budget to be between NT$800 billion to NT$1 trillion, she said, adding that the legislature should pass it as quickly as possible to secure arms for Taiwan. Her views run counter to the increasingly China-leaning and US-skeptic stance of Cheng and KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (?

Source: Taipei Times April 05, 2026 17:45 UTC