The Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun published an interview with Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-Wen under the headline "Cheng Li-Wen hopes Trump will explicitly oppose Taiwan independence."
According to a KMT press release, when asked what would happen if US President Trump expressed an "opposition to Taiwan independence" at a Xi-Trump summit, Cheng stated, "If President Trump expresses and reaffirms the One China policy and an opposition to Taiwan independence, this is completely consistent with the position of the Kuomintang. As for whether President Trump will further reinforce his position from not supporting to openly opposing Taiwan independence, we will have to wait and see."
The KMT press release pointed out that during this Yomiuri Shimbun exclusive interview, Cheng Li-Wen responded in Chinese. When discussing the current cross-strait situation, Cheng noted that the current cross-strait relationship is deteriorating rapidly, the whole world is very anxious, and there is great concern that war may break out in the Taiwan Strait. Therefore, how to prevent war and how to maintain peace are top priorities.
However, when describing this segment of the interview, Yomiuri Shimbun pointed out that Cheng Li-Wen, when elaborating on Trump's statements about his position on Taiwan independence, expressed her "hope" that Trump will clearly indicate an opposition to Taiwan independence, and also expressed deep concern over the current cross-strait situation.
The KMT press release also stated that, in response to reporters’ questions regarding Chinese President Xi Jinping’s efforts to promote cross-strait unification, Cheng stated, Xi said he understands the cross-strait separation, "Three feet of ice is not formed in a single day," but this is not an excuse for division. "Any differences or issues between the two sides can be discussed and resolved through dialogue. We can approach these issues with the utmost perseverance and patience, and address them one at a time."