20241120 a KMT supporter

A Kuomintang supporter waits for an election rally to begin in January. The party went on to lose its third straight presidential race. © AP

Taiwan's Kuomintang faces identity test in age of Trump

Opposition party marks 130th anniversary with views on China and defense in spotlight

TAIPEI -- The Kuomintang's "Blue Sky with a White Sun" flags outside its head office in Taipei echo the flag of the Republic of China itself, in a reminder of how the organization was once synonymous with power in Taiwan. The gray building, however, is a noticeable downgrade from the KMT's home until 2006 -- an imposing structure opposite the presidential palace that was sold under a cloud of controversy over ill-gotten assets during the party's authoritarian rule.

Now, as the KMT celebrates the 130th anniversary of its precursor organization this Sunday, it faces not another physical relocation but perhaps a philosophical one. Many see a challenge to redefine the space the biggest opposition party occupies in modern Taiwan, not only in the face of Chinese threats but also in the age of Donald Trump.

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