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Taiwan
ChinaDiplomacy

Taiwan’s opposition KMT seeks foothold in US, but is it too Beijing-friendly?

  • Kuomintang plans to court support in US by reopening its Washington office, which it closed after it last won power in Taiwan
  • Its stance is broadly pro-Beijing, whereas a consensus has hardened against China among US politicians and public

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Kuomintang supporters attend a campaign rally before last year’s Taiwanese presidential election, in which the party suffered a heavy defeat. Photo: EPA-EFE
Lawrence Chung
Taiwan’s main opposition party the Kuomintang has revived its long-stalled plan to re-establish its presence in Washington as part of its efforts to regain support in the United States.

It plans to reopen its representative office, shut down in 2008, and re-establish, aiming to increase its connections with US politicians, influential think tanks and Taiwanese people in the US, according to senior KMT officials.

“We have recently set up a preparatory team with the goal of reopening the office in Washington,” said Huang Kwei-bo, deputy secretary general of the KMT, who is co-leading the team.

“The [reopening of] the office is aimed at increasing the KMT’s exposure in the US so that our views and policies can be better understood there.”

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Huang said the cash-strapped party planned to raise funds in Taiwan or from the Taiwanese community in the US to finance the office, which would cost at least NT$8 million (US$285,000) a year to maintain.

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