Taiwanese politician and lawyer, KMT chair since 2025
Taiwan and China are escalating posturing ahead of a high-stakes summit, with Beijing expanding measures toward Taiwan and Washington reaffirming deterrence and dialogue. The U.S. remains Taiwan’s key arms backer while European and Czech ties intensify scrutiny of dual-use exports amid sanctions.
Cheng, chairwoman of Taiwan’s Kuomintang, has embarked on a two-week trip to the United States following an April meeting with Xi Jinping in China. She has stated openness to meetings with key U.S. figures and emphasized a goal of peace, while noting no Taiwanese leader has met a sitting U.S. president since 1979.
Taiwan has launched a secure website for Chinese nationals to provide intelligence information, citing growing discontent amid China’s economic and political pressures. The move mirrors practices by the U.S., U.K., and Israel and follows a broader pattern of cross-strait distrust and security measures.