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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Elections & Politics

KMT chair Cheng Li-wen says Chiayi City and Changhua County elections have ‘some problems’

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Ongoing story
  • Taiwan’s KMT chair Cheng Li-wen acknowledged concerns in Chiayi City and Changhua County but said she remained confident about the year-end elections.
  • Cheng said her role was to nominate the strongest 2028 presidential candidate, maintain opposition cooperation, and avoid reserving the nomination for any individual.
  • She defended dialogue across the Taiwan Strait, said the KMT would pursue party reform, and reported that more than 10,000 new members had joined.

Kuomintang Chair Cheng Li-wen acknowledged that the party faces “some problems” in Chiayi City and Changhua County, while rejecting any suggestion that she is preparing to run for Taiwan’s presidency in 2028.

Although there are some problems in Chiayi City and Changhua County, and everyone is somewhat anxious, I am still very confident that in the end we should be able to hand in a report card that everyone can be satisfied with.

— Cheng Li-wenShe responded to questions about possible poor year-end election results and whether she would resign.

In an interview with Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao, Cheng was asked whether she would resign if the year-end election results fell short of expectations. She said concerns existed, but added, “I am still very confident that in the end we should be able to hand in a report card that everyone can be satisfied with.”

Cheng said her responsibility as party chair was to nominate the strongest candidate, unite opposition forces and maintain cooperation between the blue and white camps. The KMT, she said, must establish procedures rather than preselect a nominee or tailor the party to an individual. “If I do this well, and the media interpret it as me wanting to run for president, that is an overinterpretation,” she said.

If I do this well, and the media interpret it as me wanting to run for president, that is an overinterpretation.

— Cheng Li-wenShe rejected speculation that her party leadership role indicated plans to run in 2028.

She also defended the party’s exchanges with Beijing and Washington during the first half of the year. Cheng said communication could reduce tensions across the Taiwan Strait and that peace remained an achievable option. She argued that the decades-long strategic rivalry and mistrust between China and the United States could not disappear overnight, but said a meeting between their leaders at the end of September could produce further progress.

There is a peace option across the Taiwan Strait.

— Cheng Li-wenShe argued that dialogue and exchanges could reduce hostility and preserve the possibility of peace.

Discussing her nine months of party reforms, Cheng described herself as an “atypical Kuomintang politician” and said the party’s morale had improved. More than 10,000 new members had joined, ranging from 16-year-olds to people aged 80. She said she wanted to rebuild the party’s core identity and develop values that could engage younger generations. “We are moving against the wind, but I have not the slightest fear, retreat or anxiety,” she said.

We are moving against the wind, but I have not the slightest fear, retreat or anxiety.

— Cheng Li-wenShe described the KMT’s position amid internal and external political pressure.
About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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