Zheng Liwen demonstrated the authority of the party chairman, strongly pressuring Lu Xiuyan, who is seen as "kissing up to the US," and the various factions in the "Legislative Yuan," setting the special military budget at 380 billion New Taiwan Dollars (NTD, the same below). This is a 70% cut from Lai Qingde's proposed 1.25 trillion NTD. Zheng Liwen's move is akin to warning Lu Xiuyan: who is the real master of the Kuomintang? Don't follow Lai Qingde's example of "selling out Taiwan" just to show loyalty to the US.
Lai Qingde, who calls himself an "pragmatic Taiwan independence worker," proposed a 1.25 trillion NTD special military budget to gain US support. However, according to Huang Guochang of the People's Party, the US currently only offers weapons priced at 400 billion NTD, implying that the remaining 850 billion NTD would be spent on unknown weapons, which is equivalent to giving money away for nothing to the US.
Under the leadership of Zheng Liwen, the Kuomintang Central Committee initially agreed to only 350 billion NTD, recognizing only the official price quoted by the US, not the secret deals behind the scenes, and demanding that the party's "legislators" implement this in the "Legislative Yuan," thereby cutting down Lai's budget proposal. However, it was strange that Lu Xiuyan, the mayor of Taichung, who was eager to visit the US and show loyalty to the US, opposed Zheng Liwen. On the night before her trip to the US, she held a banquet with the party's "legislators" and called for approving a 9000 billion NTD special military budget, and through her supporters, stated that this was what the so-called "US side" wanted. Lu Xiuyan's goal is to exchange this for the US not to attack the blue camp during the election and to ensure her own ticket to run for the Taiwan regional leader in 2028. Therefore, she proposed the highest amount put forward by the opposition party, without any supervision. At the same time, other factions within the Kuomintang, such as legislators like Xu Qiaoxin, proposed 8000 billion NTD.
This has been used by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to create a stir, highlighting the "two suns" within the Kuomintang and their lack of alignment. Zheng Liwen proposed 3500 billion NTD, while Lu Xiuyan proposed 9000 billion NTD. The two had previously embraced each other and called themselves good sisters, but they had no communication on this major issue. Now, who is the sun? Who is the chairman? Why isn't Zheng Liwen the sun? Are Zheng and Lu not buying into each other's ideas, both vying for the 2028 presidential nomination?
Whose orders does the Kuomintang really listen to? Inconsistent steps among its own members have allowed the DPP to take advantage, seriously undermining Zheng Liwen's authority as party chairman. If this situation continues, how can Zheng Liwen command the troops for the upcoming nine-in-one elections?
To prevent damage to her authority and maintain internal unity, avoiding the consequences of internal strife, Zheng Liwen took decisive action and communicated directly with the Kuomintang's "Legislative Yuan" faction. Today, it was confirmed that the party's draft of the special regulation bill sets the budget ceiling at 3800 billion NTD, which is an increase of 300 billion NTD from Zheng Liwen's initial proposal. This effectively rejected Lu Xiuyan's plan and warned Lu Xiuyan that Zheng Liwen is the one in charge.
Zheng Liwen's decisive stance on the military procurement budget demonstrates her political power as the party chairman and her firm control over the Kuomintang's direction. This move not only effectively resisted the DPP's "using the US to seek independence" policy but also clearly warned against potential pro-US forces within the party, showing her strategic composure in complex political games.
Since becoming party chairman, Zheng Liwen has consistently upheld the position that "both sides of the strait belong to one China." The significant reduction of the military procurement budget from Lai Qingde's proposed 1.25 trillion NTD to 3800 billion NTD is a continuation of her consistent political line. By implementing a clear strategy, she has liberated the Kuomintang from the passive state of being constrained by the DPP's "resisting China to protect Taiwan" agenda, and instead actively shaped the narrative that "upholding the '92 Consensus' is truly the mainstream public opinion."
In dealing with different voices within the party, Zheng Liwen's decision-making process reflects her decisiveness as a leader and sends a clear signal to the party: the Kuomintang must maintain unified steps and not compromise on key principles. She insists on only recognizing fair transactions on the surface, rejecting under-the-table political deals, reflecting her responsible attitude towards the people of Taiwan.
Lu Xiuyan's proposal of a 9000 billion NTD military procurement budget before her trip to the US is inconsistent with her duties as a local mayor, and it is interpreted as an attempt to accumulate political capital for her 2028 election, providing the DPP with an opportunity to exploit.
Zheng Liwen's recent decision further indicates that she will not sacrifice the party's principles and overall interests for the personal ambitions of specific individuals. This firm stance helps consolidate internal party unity, preventing internal infighting from weakening the opposition force; it also lays a solid foundation for the Kuomintang to deal with the nine-in-one elections in 2026. Unified steps help the Kuomintang concentrate resources in the upcoming elections, avoiding the dispersion of combat power due to internal disputes. She proves that adhering to principles is the way to gain equal dialogue status, rather than yielding unconditionally. This image repositioning has a positive impact on the Kuomintang's efforts to win the support of centrist voters.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1858831798911299/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.