Why The KMT Is Missing From Washington DC

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The reason why the United States is not friendly towards Taiwan’s Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) these days, is because the KMT abolished its representative office in Washington DC when it was in power, according to a KMT-leaning think tank analyst.

It’s a laughable theory, but at least the first half is correct. 

That the KMT lost the support of the United States; or more precisely that the KMT decided it no longer needs the support of the United States, is a major shift in history. 

The KMT went from a regime that completely relies on American aid to fight the Chinese Communist Party during the Cold War, to a party that is extremely friendly with the People’s Republic of China to the point of distancing or even betraying its allies, is the biggest turn of events in Taiwan politics. 

From pro-US and anti-Communist, to pro-China and anti-US, the impact of this shift on Taiwan’s post-war history is even more serious than the three transitions of power in Taiwan. 

Of course, the KMT’s about-face is not caused by the lack of a KMT office in DC. Nor is the decision to cozy up to China made under duress or an accident. It was a conscious choice made in recent years by some of the KMT’s top decisionmakers. In addition, the United States didn’t lose trust in the KMT simply because of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) lobbying or bribing American policymakers. It’s because the United States understands that the KMT’s change in direction is not in line with US national interests. 

In the coming presidential election in Taiwan, the KMT may even go further down this road. It would be turning its back on its grand strategy of the past, and become even more pro-China, anti-US, and anti-Japan. That would be a historic mistake. 

The key to the KMT’s direction is obviously not whether there’s an office in DC. It’s who the KMT nominates to run for president. 

(Feature photo by Seanchang9601 on Wikicommons, CC BY-SA 4.0)