Taipei: Kuomintang (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun has affirmed that while her party is committed to peace, Taiwan would exercise its right to self-defense and retaliate if China launched an attack, even though Taiwan has not formally declared independence.

According to Focus Taiwan, Cheng made these remarks in an interview with The Economist, released by the KMT's Culture and Communications Committee. She emphasized that Taiwan should not be used as a bargaining chip in great-power competitions. Instead, Taiwan should work on deepening cooperation with the United States and the international community, while striving to reduce conflict risks through dialogue to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the broader Indo-Pacific region.

Cheng's comments followed her recent two-week tour across major U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Boston, New York, Washington, and Los Angeles. Branded "A Journey of U.S.-China-Taiwan Peace and Prosperity," the trip aimed to promote Taiwan as a potential mediator between Washington and Beijing. During her visit, Cheng sought to address misunderstandings in the United States regarding the KMT's cross-strait and defense policies and highlighted the party's commitment to maintaining regional peace and stability through dialogue and self-defense.

Cheng reiterated the KMT's opposition to a formal declaration of Taiwan independence, a stance consistent with Chinese President Xi Jinping's position. However, she stressed that if Taiwan refrained from declaring independence and China still chose to invade, "we will fight back." Furthermore, Cheng mentioned the possibility of the KMT proposing legislation to support Taiwan's domestic drone manufacturing program and other initiatives to bolster the country's defense industry. Such legislation, however, is unlikely to pass before Xi's planned visit to the United States in September.

The KMT faced criticism recently after its lawmakers, alongside the Taiwan People's Party, removed funding for Taiwan's domestic drone manufacturing program, raising concerns that these actions could weaken the country's defense supply chain. Nonetheless, Cheng reaffirmed the KMT's dedication to peace while maintaining Taiwan's self-defense, and its ongoing engagement with the United States and the international community to foster mutual understanding.