Ko Wen-je Says President 'Might Be Happy' About Blocked Trip; Liang Wen-chieh: Conspiracy Theory
Former TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je claimed President Lai might be happy his diplomatic trip was blocked, calling it a political strategy. MAC Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh criticized this as a conspiracy theory helping the CCP evade responsibility.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 19:56
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 20:01 (5 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 20:11 (9 min after Collected)
(Central News Agency reporter Liao Wen-chi, Taipei, 23rd) President Lai Ching-te's planned visit to Eswatini was postponed due to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Former Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je stated, "President Lai might actually be very happy." Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh expressed shock today, criticizing Ko Wen-je for spreading conspiracy theories and helping the CCP evade responsibility.
Ko Wen-je and his wife Chen Peg-chi visited Yilan County today to campaign for TPP county magistrate candidate Chen Wan-hui. When asked by the media about his views on President Lai's frustrated diplomatic trip, Ko said that regarding the inability to travel, "President Lai himself might be very happy," because it aligns with President Lai's consistent strategy, which is to escalate confrontation, though the price is that Taiwanese society will fall into long-term division.
In response, Liang Wen-chieh stated at a regular MAC press conference that upon hearing these words, "I was truly shocked." He said that over the past year or so as Ko Wen-je faced judicial issues, some people also said "Ko Wen-je might be very happy" because this could stir up the emotions of his supporters and escalate confrontation. And as a minority party, the TPP's best strategy is to constantly escalate confrontation so its supporters won't disperse.
Liang said, "I always say I don't believe it, because no one would say they would be happy about being locked up and sentenced to over 10 years." But today Ko Wen-je said President Lai "might be very happy" about the diplomatic suppression, and even explicitly pointed out that this is a designed strategy just for the electoral campaign. "This kind of statement, I think, is highly inappropriate."
Liang criticized, "To put it more severely, he is actually spreading a kind of conspiracy theory, and then helping the CCP evade responsibility." It implies the CCP is not at fault, and the one at fault is President Lai. When Taiwan's diplomacy is suppressed and the whole nation feels indignant, an important opposition leader can actually make such remarks. The saying goes "words reflect the mind," and saying these things reflects what your true thoughts really are. "I can only say that." (Editor: Yang Sheng-ju) 1150423
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship from you is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the CNA "First Hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.
Ko Wen-je and his wife Chen Peg-chi visited Yilan County today to campaign for TPP county magistrate candidate Chen Wan-hui. When asked by the media about his views on President Lai's frustrated diplomatic trip, Ko said that regarding the inability to travel, "President Lai himself might be very happy," because it aligns with President Lai's consistent strategy, which is to escalate confrontation, though the price is that Taiwanese society will fall into long-term division.
In response, Liang Wen-chieh stated at a regular MAC press conference that upon hearing these words, "I was truly shocked." He said that over the past year or so as Ko Wen-je faced judicial issues, some people also said "Ko Wen-je might be very happy" because this could stir up the emotions of his supporters and escalate confrontation. And as a minority party, the TPP's best strategy is to constantly escalate confrontation so its supporters won't disperse.
Liang said, "I always say I don't believe it, because no one would say they would be happy about being locked up and sentenced to over 10 years." But today Ko Wen-je said President Lai "might be very happy" about the diplomatic suppression, and even explicitly pointed out that this is a designed strategy just for the electoral campaign. "This kind of statement, I think, is highly inappropriate."
Liang criticized, "To put it more severely, he is actually spreading a kind of conspiracy theory, and then helping the CCP evade responsibility." It implies the CCP is not at fault, and the one at fault is President Lai. When Taiwan's diplomacy is suppressed and the whole nation feels indignant, an important opposition leader can actually make such remarks. The saying goes "words reflect the mind," and saying these things reflects what your true thoughts really are. "I can only say that." (Editor: Yang Sheng-ju) 1150423
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship from you is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the CNA "First Hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.