In a dramatic turn that has sent ripples through Taiwan’s political landscape, the Kuomintang (KMT), the island’s main opposition party, elected Cheng Li-wun as its new leader on October 18, 2025. The 55-year-old former lawmaker, who is only the second woman to ever helm the KMT, secured her victory with 65,122 votes—garnering just over 50% of the party’s ballots. Her win over former Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin and four other contenders marks a significant generational and ideological shift for the 130-year-old party, which has struggled to reconnect with voters after three consecutive presidential defeats to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Cheng’s election wasn’t just a routine leadership change. According to The Straits Times, her victory shocked Taiwan’s political class, upending expectations that the more experienced, old-guard favorite Hau Lung-bin would prevail. Instead, members opted for an upstart with a reformist agenda, signaling a desire for fresh energy and new direction within the party. “Cheng represents fresh energy and has a fighting spirit, so she is seen as capable of taking the KMT into a new era,” Dr. Philip Yang, managing director of the Taipei Forum think-tank, told The Straits Times.
Cheng, who began her political career as a member of the independence-leaning DPP, ran on a platform promising to transform the KMT from a “flock of sheep” into a “pack of lions.” In her victory speech, she declared, “The KMT will shoulder its responsibilities and actively serve as a peacemaker for regional peace,” a statement that was widely reported by AP and Reuters. She also emphasized her intent to uphold “equality, respect, and mutual benefits” in Taiwan’s external relations, vowing that “we must not let Taiwan become a troublemaker. Second, we must not let Taiwan become the sacrifice of geopolitics.”
Cheng’s ascent comes at a pivotal moment for the KMT. Despite losing the 2024 presidential election, the party and its ally, the Taiwan People’s Party, still hold a majority bloc in the legislature. This power dynamic complicates the DPP’s efforts to pass key legislation and gives the KMT significant leverage over Taiwan’s domestic and foreign policy direction. As noted by Reuters, Cheng’s leadership is expected to play a crucial role in the 2026 local elections and set the stage for the KMT’s challenge to President Lai Ching-te’s DPP in the 2028 presidential race.
However, Cheng’s reformist credentials are intertwined with her controversial stance on cross-strait relations and defense spending. She is a vocal critic of President Lai’s plans to significantly increase defense spending—proposals that have the backing of the United States and are intended to deter growing military pressure from Beijing. President Lai has pledged to raise Taiwan’s defense budget to over 3% of GDP in 2026 and to surpass 5% by 2030, compared to the current 2.45%. Cheng, on the other hand, has made it clear she does not support these increases, arguing instead for policies that would “ensure peace with China,” which claims Taiwan as its own territory.
Analysts interviewed by The Straits Times and AP believe Cheng’s perceived pro-China orientation could become a double-edged sword. While her supporters within the KMT see closer ties with Beijing as beneficial for Taiwan’s stability and economy, critics within and beyond her party are wary of the risks. “She is seen as very pro-China, so that will likely have some impact on legislative issues such as Taiwan’s defense budget,” Associate Professor Chen Shih-min of National Taiwan University told The Straits Times. The challenge for Cheng, according to observers, will be convincing a skeptical public—especially younger voters—that engagement with Beijing does not come at the expense of Taiwan’s sovereignty or interests.
Cheng’s election was also shadowed by allegations of Chinese interference. During the campaign, KMT vice presidential candidate Jaw Shaw-kong and other party figures claimed that disinformation campaigns, particularly on TikTok and YouTube, were being used to sway the race. Taiwan’s National Security Bureau chief, Tsai Ming-yen, reported that more than 1,000 videos related to the election appeared on TikTok and 23 YouTube accounts, with over half of the latter based outside Taiwan. However, he did not specify which candidates were targeted or whether the content originated from China. Cheng dismissed these allegations as “very cheap labels,” urging politicians to “return the island’s politics to rationality.”
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, for its part, downplayed the controversy. Spokesperson Chen Binhua stated that Cheng’s election was an “internal party affair” and that the views of some mainland Chinese internet users “did not represent the government’s position.” Meanwhile, Chinese state media, including Xinhua, reported on Cheng’s victory without overt commentary, a sign of Beijing’s cautious approach to the leadership change.
Cheng’s background as a political commentator and two-term legislator, combined with her outsider status in the KMT’s traditional elite, has contributed to her image as a reformer. Her campaign’s appeal to youth, women, and moderate voters is seen as a strategic attempt to broaden the party’s base, which has eroded in recent years amid generational and ideological shifts in Taiwanese society. “The KMT must now really think about how it will reach a wider base of supporters, particularly among the youth, moderate voters, and women,” Dr. Yang noted to The Straits Times.
Yet, the road ahead is anything but smooth. Voter turnout in the leadership election was below 40%, reflecting ongoing apathy or disillusionment among party members. The KMT’s historical legacy—as the party that once ruled China, fled to Taiwan after the Communist takeover, and oversaw the island’s transition from martial law to democracy in the 1980s—still shapes its identity. But modern Taiwanese politics is defined by a complex interplay of local identity, cross-strait tensions, and generational change.
As Cheng prepares to take office on November 1, she faces the daunting task of revitalizing a party that is both deeply rooted in history and challenged by contemporary realities. Her promises to serve as a “peacemaker” and her calls for rational, pragmatic politics will be put to the test as Taiwan approaches crucial mayoral elections in 2026 and, ultimately, the high-stakes presidential race in 2028.
For now, the KMT’s gamble on Cheng Li-wun represents both a break from the past and an uncertain leap into the future—one that will likely shape Taiwan’s political trajectory for years to come.
