In Dialogue with Cheng Li-wun: Taiwan for a "Chain of Peace and Prosperity"

Currently chairing the time-tested Kuomintang Party (KMT), Cheng Li-wun, for the first time in the English language, spells out her vision for Cross-Strait relations and international order for the global audience. At the WorldViews Podcast on Harvard University campus, Cheng starts with stories of the party as well as the person: as the ethnic-Yi daughter of a Golden-Triangle-trapped veteran, she grew up in Southern Taiwan, joined the DPP as an activist-advocate, grew disillusioned, quit, and, after studying in Cambridge--the original one in the UK, she makes a special note--and Temple in Philadelphia, U.S., switched to the KMT Party in a new fight for an alternative approach to Mainland China, the strait, the region, and the world. When asked to explain her Cross-Strait & One-China narrative, Cheng shows an open-ended, relational realism: after such a long separation, she argues, both sides need to (re)learn how to live together and work together, for which purpose, though, we at least need channels in the here and now for more contacts and collaborations across the Taiwan Strait, which she does not think will turn into another Strait of Hormuz. When Prof. Hansong Li presses on about the strengths and vulnerabilities of the Taiwanese economy, Chair Cheng is forthright about the weak links: AI-hardware and non-AI industries are imbalanced, while tech-industrial profits remain unevenly distributed across the Taiwanese society. Environment and education may also put strain on home-based ecosystems. Still, she expresses optimism that by harvesting from the 'guardian mountains' and promoting more 'invisible champions,' the economy will not only sustain its momentum but also positively spill-over elsewhere in Asia. Finally, Cheng compares youths in the United States, mainland China, and Taiwan, arguing that "AI natives" around the world will be strikingly similar and remarkably different at the same time. These youths, whether across the Strait or across continents, will have to learn how to co-craft agendas for an uncertain future. A "Youth United Nations," she suggests, may provide such a platform. Disclaimer: Worldviews is a media platform registered in the United States under the applicable law (the “Platform”). All views expressed by guests are their own and do not represent the Platform or its affiliates. Guest participation does not constitute endorsement of the guest's past, present, or future conduct. Worldviews reserves the right to present diverse viewpoints without censorship. Worldviews assumes no legal liability for the actions our guests beyond the Platform. Videographer: Dragon Art Group Composer: Cinta C. Xia 川導霖子 Kawashima Rinko