Taiwanese Politician's 'Soft as Clouds' Xi Jinping Remark Criticized as 'Political Bubble'

A recent description of Chinese President Xi Jinping's handshake as "soft like clouds" by Kuomintang (KMT) politician Cheng Li-wen during a visit to the United States has ignited controversy. Writer Wang Hao sharply criticized the KMT's understanding of the Communist Party, labeling their perception as a "political bubble" that could be deflated at any moment.

Wang Hao questioned the KMT's grasp of the Communist Party's nature, asserting that what they perceive as a "warm cloud" is merely a facade covering an "iron fist." He suggested that this perceived softness is a tactic, a "political bubble" that can be removed at will. Cheng Li-wen's remarks, made while engaging with U.S. personnel, contrasted with her public statements in Taiwan advocating for "lying flat" under the premise of peace, an idea Wang Hao sees as an attempt to package the Communist Party's promises as a safe haven for Taiwanese youth.

According to Wang Hao, Cheng Li-wen's approach represents a "disastrous misjudgment" based on an overly optimistic and one-sided view of the Communist Party. He pointed out that Cheng deliberately overlooked Xi Jinping's implicit condition for cross-strait peace: the "abandonment of sovereignty." By treating united front rhetoric as truth, Wang Hao believes Cheng has misstepped significantly. He further highlighted a recent statement from China's Ministry of State Security criticizing the use of "lying flat" rhetoric to erode youth ideology, calling it a "slap across the Taiwan Strait" that shattered the KMT's peace narrative and exposed Cheng's "lying flat peace theory" as poison in Beijing's eyes.

Wang Hao also noted the significant cost of Cheng's U.S. trip, suggesting that funds from the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and public coffers exceeded ten million New Taiwan dollars. He concluded by emphasizing that the KMT's strategy of subservient appeasement and promoting a "lying flat" ideology of surrender is futile in gaining favor from an authoritarian regime. "In the eyes of the Communist Party," Wang Hao stated, "compromises without the backing of strength are worthless. Your perceived warm cloud is nothing more than a political bubble wrapped around an iron fist, ready to be deflated at any time."