Weng Hsiao-ling's own cousin calls her Chinese as identity row flares

Aug 16, 2026

A KMT lawmaker's repeated declarations that she is Chinese have drawn public backlash, including a rare rebuke from her own family, in a bad look for the party ahead of Taiwan's 2026 elections.

  • KMT legislator Weng Hsiao-ling keeps saying "I am Chinese," and now her cousin has publicly stated she "is already Chinese" and that Taiwanese people look down on her.
  • The cousin dug up the family's distinguished Taiwan-Japan-US-Germany academic and military background, urging her not to "forget her roots."
  • Critics ask how someone who calls herself Chinese can keep serving as a lawmaker of the Republic of China; Weng has stayed silent.
  • The flap comes amid a heated budget fight and jostling among the KMT's leadership contenders, with Taipei mayor Chiang Wan-an and others sidelined.
  • A separate row erupted when Weng was accused of cutting a queue at a film festival and possibly infringing copyright by posting screenshots of a Chinese movie.

Outlook: The identity fight will keep fueling blue-green attacks as the 2026 mayoral races heat up.

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