KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun sets off on 6-day China trip

KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun sets off on 6-day China trip

2026-04-07

KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun has set off on a six-day visit to China, which is expected to include a sit-down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday. Cheng was originally scheduled to speak about her trip at the airport before her departure, but the presser was abruptly rescheduled to a conference at the party’s headquarters late at night on Monday. Nearly 20 lawmakers attended the event to see her off. Let’s hear more.

Cheng Li-wun
KMT Chair
Many people find it hard to believe that I would be formally invited by the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee and General Secretary Xi Jinping himself. President Lai Ching-te will surely be closely watching the whole process sitting in the Presidential Office. I know our friends in the DPP are full of doubts about the other side of the strait, but as long as you have the will, cross-strait peace is not that difficult.

Wang Chen-ting
Taipei Councilor candidate (Green Party Taiwan)
The KMT is trying to sell this trip as a journey for peace, but we must ask ourselves. Would this “peace” be achieved at the cost of Taiwan’s sovereignty and by downgrading Taiwan to an internal issue for the Chinese Communist Party? I think such a peace would be but a poison.

Wang Hsing-huan
Taiwan Statebuilding Party Chair
If KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun becomes so enamored with China that she doesn’t want to come back, she can just stay. She can save herself the return ticket. In fact, she can ask everyone else in the KMT to just go back to their motherland. Even those friends seeing her off should just board the plane with her and go.

Several pro-independence groups gathered at the airport voicing opposition to Cheng’s plans. But there were also several members of the Chinese nationalist New Party, who showed up to demonstrate their support for Cheng. The two sides shouted at each other, and to prevent any potential clashes, 136 police officers were deployed to the scene. But the demonstrations were in vain, as Cheng ended up taking another path into Songshan Airport via the business center, without having to hear diametrically opposed voices.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#china #taiwan #songshan #kmt #鄭麗文

玩躲貓貓? 鄭麗文訪中低調出境為避開抗議團體?

2026-04-07

國民黨主席鄭麗文週二展開為期6天的訪中行程，預計10日將和習近平見面，不過原本的機場談話，卻在接近凌晨12點，臨時改在黨中央開記者會，動員近20位立委歡送。

[[國民黨主席鄭麗文]]
“很多人不敢相信，麗文會成功的被中共中央，以及習近平總書記正式的邀請，坐在總統府的賴清德總統，他一定全程高度的關注。我知道民進黨的朋友們，對於對岸充滿了疑慮，兩岸和平其實沒有這麼困難，只要你有心

[[台北市議員參選人(台灣綠黨) 王振庭]]
“中國國民黨企圖將此行包裝為和平之旅，但我們要問的是，所謂的和平，是以模糊台灣主權，將台灣問題降格為中共國內問題為代價，這種的和平根本就是毒藥”

[[台灣基進黨主席王興煥]]
“如果鄭主席在中國流連忘返，那其實真的可以忘返，可以不只不用買回來機票，還可以率領全體，國民黨的黨員，一起回歸故土，包括對面那一些送機朋友，其實可以隨鄭主席，一起登機”

松機外頭，不只獨派團體，新黨也佔據一側，力挺鄭麗文，兩方叫囂不斷。就怕雙方有衝突出現，警方也加以戒備，出動136名警力到場，但主角鄭麗文，走其他通道，悄悄溜進機場商務中心，訪中前，不願面對反對聲音。

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Braving the rain, agricultural authorities check the spring tea crop. If it had rained like this a few months ago, this year’s spring tea would not have been so heavily impacted.

Yu Hao
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It barely rained at all in January, and only for one day in early February, with scattered showers at the end of the month. It’s very serious. The crop has been seriously damaged.

Zhushan is Nantou’s second-biggest tea-producing township. It barely rained here at all in January, reaching standards for “disastrous weather” due to drought, the Ministry of Agriculture said. The drought has been the worst in Zhushan and Lugu townships, impacting the growth of new shoots and the size of leaves. This has led to a serious decrease in spring tea production.

Huang Cheng-tsung
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The tea buds are shorter than the typical length of spring tea, with an overall sprouting rate of only 30 to 40%, which is very low.

Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Nantou’s Agriculture Bureau inspected the tea fields, confirming that the losses reach the standard for natural disaster relief.

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The ministry said all tea-producing areas in Nantou except for Ren’ai Township would receive subsidies to help them through the disaster.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Over 250,000 seniors still paying off mortgages as Taiwan ages

Buying a home is no longer just a challenge for the younger generation. Even seniors are still paying off their mortgages. Of all people aged over 60 in Taiwan, over 250,000 still have mortgages. That means that one out of every 8.9 mortgage holders is over 60. At an age when they should be retiring and enjoying life, more and more people are struggling to pay off their homes. And on top of that, strict thresholds set by banks for senior applicants are creating more challenges for this demographic.

In 2020, real-estate agent Chen Tai-yuan bought a studio apartment in Taipei’s Zhongshan District. He’s been making payments now for over five years, and still owes NT$7.21 million. Even with monthly payments of NT$32,000 for both the principal and interest, he will be 67 years old by the time he pays it off.

Chen Tai-yuan
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There’s a sense of urgency. We have to earn money early in order to save up enough for the remaining 25 years of mortgage payments.

According to the latest data from the Joint Credit Information Center, as of December, about 11.22% of the 2.24 million mortgage holders in Taiwan—or one in every 8.91 mortgage holders—is a senior. But would you be willing to spend your golden years paying off a mortgage?

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I don’t want to. It’s impossible. There’s no work. No one wants to hire someone my age. How’re we supposed to pay?

Mr. Hsu
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I’m 72 now. I paid off my mortgage at 68. I felt like I could relax after that, but it was really hard at the time. I was unhappy for 20, 30 years. It was horrible, thinking about the mortgage day in and day out. Some people even work three jobs.

As Taiwan becomes super-aged with a declining birthrate, there will only be more seniors like Mr. Hsu who are still paying off mortgages.

Chen Tai-yuan
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If you’re already 60, your loan term might not even reach 20 years. They might even force you to inform your children about the loan. Banks worry that the risk of a senior developing dementia could lead to legal disputes.

Many banks have set a rule stipulating that borrower’s age plus the loan term cannot exceed 80 years. Senior loans come with a low loan-to-value ratio and the highest interest rates. Income and the purpose of the loan are also highly scrutinized. Finding a balance between declining health and a steep mortgage has become a grim reality that many must face.

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The factory’s power suddenly went out, sending the surprised employees outside to see what was wrong. There they discovered a bird standing on the ground, looking around.

The outage was caused by two turtle doves flying into a high-voltage power line. While one died on the spot, the other survived, its feathers scorched and emitting a burning scent. But it seemed to be doing just fine, and full of energy.

Chen Yung-ho
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A red light suddenly flashed and there was a huge bang that scared everyone, then the power shut off. All its feathers were scorched, so we decided to bring it inside and look after it.

The incident occurred outside a screw factory in Rende, Tainan. When the power suddenly went out, employees went to the entrance to find that two turtle doves had hit the high-voltage lines. They immediately contacted Taipower for emergency repairs. But for the scorched bird, it was a blessing in disguise. Now it’s been adopted by the employees, who have made it an adorable temporary home.

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On April 7, 1989, democracy activist Cheng Nan-jung died by self-immolation while the police tried to arrest him for sedition. That was before Taiwan became fully democratic in 1996, but after martial law was lifted in 1987. In 2016, April 7 was designated as Freedom of Expression Day. While President Lai Ching-te on Tuesday paid tribute to Cheng Nan-jung, on the opposite end of the political spectrum, KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun happened to depart for China. President Lai took the occasion to emphasize that true peace cannot be achieved at the mercy of a dictatorship; that peace is not solely an absence of war, but moreover, peace must uphold national sovereignty.

President Lai Ching-te pays tribute to democracy activist Cheng Nan-jung at Chin Pao San Cemetary, on the 37th year since he died by self-immolation.

The solemn occasion is accompanied by sweet violin music. On this day 37 years ago, democracy activist Cheng Nan-jung’s death shocked society. President Lai Ching-te says he still thinks about the incident, with reverence for Cheng, so many years on.

Lai Ching-te
President
Every time I think of Mr. Cheng Nan-jung’s tragic martyrdom, I feel a deep sense of loss and boundless respect for him. His heroic sacrifice awakened society, and wave after wave of social forces have devoted themselves to successive democratic reforms.

The president said Cheng’s self-immolation was a catalyst that awakened many to join social movements, hearkening Taiwan’s democracy.

Lai Ching-te
President
Taiwan’s greatest challenge is China’s suppression. Under these circumstances, we’re very aware that although peace is important, our vision for peace must include idealism, and cannot contain delusions.

The KMT recently launched a video campaign for party chair Cheng Li-wun’s visit to China, with the message “only peace will allow us to chill,” which was met with disdain by the ruling DPP.

Lai Ching-te
President
Peace must be upheld through strength. It’s the same as fighting for democracy. It’s impossible to achieve peace at a dictator’s mercy. Instead, it takes determination. Peace can only be achieved through strength. Only then will we gain real peace. What’s more, peace isn’t only an absence of war. That cannot be called peace so simply. In addition to an absence of war, peace must also uphold national sovereignty. Taiwan is not a part of the People’s Republic of China.

Lai said that cross-strait peace must uphold national sovereignty. Though he did not directly address the KMT chair, it’s clear that his message was intended for her.

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