"Taiwan's main opposition party has chosen a new reformist leader who is critical of high defence spending but envisions peace with neighbouring China, whose sovereignty claims over the island have long roiled ties. Members of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party, which traditionally has had warm ties with Beijing, voted to elect former lawmaker Cheng Li-wun as chairperson on Saturday."
"The election of Cheng, who warns against letting Taiwan become the sacrifice of geopolitics, has deep implications for domestic politics at a time of heightened military and political tensions with China. While the KMT does not control the presidency, the party and its ally the small Taiwan People's Party together hold enough seats to form a majority bloc in the legislature, creating a headache for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) trying to get the budget and its legislation passed."
Cheng Li-wun won the Kuomintang chair election with more than 50 percent of the vote and will assume leadership on November 1. Cheng, 55, defeated former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin and four other candidates amid turnout below 40 percent of party members. Cheng opposes increasing the defence budget and emphasizes safeguarding peace across the Taiwan Strait while warning against Taiwan becoming a sacrifice of geopolitics. The Kuomintang traditionally maintains warm ties with Beijing and positions itself as a creator of regional peace. The KMT and the Taiwan People's Party together hold enough legislative seats to form a majority bloc, complicating the ruling DPP's agenda. Accusations of Chinese interference from a key Hau supporter cast a shadow over the vote.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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