Taiwan's Premier Cho Jung-tai defended his trip to Tokyo to watch the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday, telling opposition lawmakers that "only the Chinese Communist Party and you are upset" about the visit.
The March 10 trip marked the first time a sitting Taiwanese premier has visited Japan since diplomatic ties were severed in 1972. Cho attended the WBC game between Taiwan and the Czech Republic, a seemingly routine sporting event that triggered immediate criticism from both the Kuomintang (KMT) and Beijing.
The alignment is notable. Within hours of Cho's arrival in Tokyo, the CCP's Taiwan Affairs Office issued a statement condemning the visit as "provocative." KMT legislators echoed the criticism, questioning the propriety of the trip and demanding transparency about who funded it.
Cho stated he personally financed the visit, paying for "all flights, transportation, and admission costs from my own pocket during my day off." He held up a paper bag containing receipts and documents during legislative questioning, asking whether critics would accept responsibility if the contents proved genuine.
The opposition challenged his account. KMT legislator Wang Hung-wei questioned why the charter plane departed from the air force's VIP ramp at Taipei Songshan Airport if this was purely personal business. He demanded Cho "provide evidence immediately" and asked why China Airlines hadn't commented on the flight arrangements.
Cho maintained the decision to use Songshan Base Command was "cautious planning to avoid complications and not make a fuss."
The episode illustrates a recurring pattern in Taiwan politics: KMT criticism of Democratic Progressive Party actions frequently parallels messaging from . The phenomenon—sometimes called 國共合作 (Guógòng hézuò, KMT-CCP cooperation)—appears across multiple issues, from cross-strait policy to defense procurement to diplomatic outreach.
