Key facts
- Taiwan's opposition leader urged the US and China not to use the island as a 'pawn'.
- Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Kuomintang (KMT), views President Trump's opposition to Taiwan's independence as a positive step.
- Cheng emphasized the KMT's adherence to the 'one China' principle and opposition to independence as a means to maintain cross-strait status quo.
Taiwan's main opposition leader, Cheng Li-wun of the Kuomintang (KMT) party, has called on both the United States and China to avoid using the self-governing island as a 'pawn' in their geopolitical strategies. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Cheng described President Trump's recent remarks opposing Taiwan's independence as a "relatively positive first step" toward de-escalating tensions. She reiterated the KMT's long-standing position of adhering to the 'one China' principle and opposing independence, asserting that this stance is crucial for maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.