Taiwan’s primary opposition social gathering elects new chief in a race clouded by claims of China meddling

Taiwan’s primary opposition Nationalist Party selected a former lawmaker as its new chairperson on Saturday (October 18, 2025) in a aggressive election clouded by allegations of China’s meddling.

By a large margin, Cheng Li-wun — the one feminine candidate within the race who positioned herself as a reformist — defeated former Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin and 4 others contesting the management of the China-friendly social gathering. The Nationalists, also called the KMT, preserve robust political affect in Taiwan regardless of dropping three consecutive presidential elections to the independence-leaning ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

The KMT holds sufficient seats to kind a majority bloc with its allies within the legislature and survived two recall elections simply months in the past that have been sparked by considerations over their lawmakers passing adjustments seen as diminishing the facility of the manager and favouring China, which considers the island as its personal territory.

Scheduled to take workplace in November, Ms. Cheng may affect how Taiwan handles its relationship with Beijing and different key insurance policies and home and worldwide political issues. She may also anchor the social gathering within the 2026 native elections. The KMT can be more likely to discipline a candidate difficult President Lai Ching-te’s DPP within the 2028 race.

During her marketing campaign, Ms. Cheng pledged to show KMT from a flock of “sheep” into “lions,” opposing Mr. Lai’s proposal to spice up defence price range to five% of GDP, or gross home product, native media reported. She was as soon as a DPP member.

In a information convention after the win, the social gathering’s second elected feminine chair mentioned the Nationalists would uphold the ideas of equality, respect and mutual advantages in dealing with exterior relations.

“We must not let Taiwan become a troublemaker. Second, we must not let Taiwan become the sacrifice of geopolitics,” she mentioned, including her social gathering would even be a peacemaker.

Beijing has a very strained relationship with Mr. Lai, whom it accuses of being a separatist. It has threatened to make use of power to deliver Taiwan below its management, if crucial, and has more and more mobilised navy, diplomatic and financial stress in an try to undermine Lai’s administration.

Traditionally, KMT has had hotter ties with Beijing, with Chinese politicians visiting for exchanges. Supporters of the KMT see the ties as helpful to the island democracy’s stability and financial system, however its critics are cautious of the affect Beijing exerts.

Over the previous week, Jaw Shaw-kong, Hau’s supporter within the social gathering, alleged that China was concerned in an organised interference, citing movies attacking Hau and supporting Ms. Cheng.

The head of Taiwan’s National Security Bureau, Tsai Ming-yen, mentioned it discovered over 1,000 movies discussing the election on TikTok, along with 23 YouTube accounts posting associated content material, with over half of the YouTube accounts primarily based outdoors of Taiwan. He didn’t say which candidates these movies supported or immediately reply whether or not they have been primarily based in China.

Ms. Cheng rejected the allegations of China’s influencing her social gathering as “very cheap labels,” urging politicians to return the island’s politics to rationality.

Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, mentioned on Wednesday that Cheng’s election was the social gathering’s inner affair and the views of some mainland Chinese web customers didn’t symbolize the federal government’s place.

DPP spokesperson Wu Cheng cautioned that Chinese interference was apparent and the KMT ought to rigorously guard towards it, saying his social gathering hoped that the brand new chair would prioritise Taiwan’s security over social gathering pursuits.

Under late chief Chiang Kai-shek, the Nationalists rose to energy in China throughout the Twenties, combating invasion by Japan after which Mao Zedong’s communists, earlier than fleeing to Taiwan with the remnants of his forces when Mao’s insurgents took energy. Taiwan started transitioning from martial legislation rule to multiparty democracy within the Nineteen Eighties and held its first direct presidential election in 1996.