(Central News Agency, New York, 7th – Special Correspondent Liao Hanyuan) Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wen visited the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) in Manhattan's Chinatown on the 7th and attended a banquet with overseas Chinese groups. Cheng stated that the most important message of her US visit is that amid frequent global conflicts and widespread anxiety, Chinese people must play a key role. She noted that during her trip to mainland China in April, the long-interrupted KMT-CPC platform was reestablished, and the 'Cheng-Xi meeting' once again expressed the hope for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Speaking at the CCBA, Cheng emphasized that this is not only the expectation and will of the majority of people in Taiwan but also the desire of compatriots in mainland China (Beijing) to usher in a new era of peace and stability across the strait. No one, she said, wants to see the Chinese nation continue to fight amongst itself.

Cheng further pointed out that following the Cheng-Xi meeting, there are signs of a potential 'Trump-Xi meeting' that could change the course of the era. She noted that the long-term hostility and confrontation between the US and China are beginning to shift direction. Through mutual understanding, goodwill, trust-building, and deepening friendship, the US and China do not need to be in conflict; they should cooperate to create new heights for human civilization.

In the evening, Cheng and her delegation attended a banquet in Flushing, a hub for Taiwanese immigrants, where supporters cheered for her. Cheng recalled that over 30 years ago, while studying in the US, she and her husband visited Flushing almost every week. She called on supporters to return to the Constitution of the Republic of China, which she described as a 'One China Constitution' that guarantees a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, and has built a democratic, free, law-based, and equitable society in Taiwan. On this constitutional basis, she argued, the 1992 Consensus exists, where both sides of the strait belong to one China, seeking common consensus and foundation.

She stated that despite the vastly different lifestyles, social systems, and significant disparities created by the long river of history, both sides can stop killing and hostility and begin a process of breaking the ice, exchange, and dialogue.

Cheng began her US trip in early June, having already visited San Francisco and Boston. In New York, she will continue meetings with business leaders, think tanks, and academics. She is scheduled to give a public speech at the Asia Society on the 8th, with Daniel Russel, a scholar at the Society's Policy Institute and former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Orville Schell, Director of the Society's Center on US-China Relations, as discussants. (Editor: Wei Shu) 1150608

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  • Source: CNA (Central News Agency)
  • Category: Event