00:02Main opposition Kuomintang chair Zheng Liwen says her trip to Washington, D.C. has been
00:07a major success. Her visit to the U.S. is being closely watched by both Taiwanese and American
00:13officials. This trip was an opportunity for Zheng to make her party's case for its part
00:19installing and slashing a 40 billion U.S. dollar special defense budget proposal that
00:24Taiwan President Lai Qingde put forth last November.
00:42Zheng's party along with the smaller Taiwan People's Party holds a majority in the legislature
00:48and ended up passing a smaller 25 billion U.S. dollar special budget. While the ruling
00:54Democratic Progressive Party warns that China is a threat to Taiwan's sovereignty, Zheng,
00:58who met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in April, has been singing a different tune. Zheng says
01:04that Taiwan needs to reconcile with China and begin dialogue with Beijing in good faith.
01:09While Zheng has been met with waves of support during her time in the U.S., she's also been
01:14met with skepticism. She was heckled during a speaking event at the Asia Society in New York.
01:20I'm a member of the United States. I'm a member of the United States. I'm a member of the United
01:23States.
01:23I'm a member of the United States. I'm a member of the United States.
01:25I'm a member of the United States. I'm a member of the United States.
01:27Okay. Okay.
01:28Protesters also showed up outside a banquet for Zheng in Maryland. And there have been questions
01:33about whether she failed to secure a meeting with U.S. national security officials.
01:38Even though Zheng is getting mixed opinions here in the U.S., Stimson Center senior fellow
01:43Michael Cunningham says that her trip has been productive.
01:46I would think that she just wants to be better known in Washington and that she has, of course,
01:53some messages that she wants to convey. And I think she has probably succeeded at that. I think
02:04people, as they meet with her, are really getting to know where she stands on issues.
02:09She also says she's listening to U.S. feedback. Before Zheng left D.C. for Los Angeles,
02:15she told reporters U.S. think tanks had suggested the KMT could be more proactive in proposing its
02:21own defense spending legislation and that her party would take that on board.
02:26During her visit to the U.S., Zheng Liwen has met with U.S. lawmakers,
02:30think tanks, and members of the overseas community. The meetings offered people an opportunity to
02:34learn more about Zheng and her policy positions. But amid skepticism from some here in Washington,
02:40Washington, more exchanges may be needed in the future. Yi Sun Sun and Leslie Liao in Washington,
02:44D.C. for Taiwan Plus.
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