TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) on Monday dismissed rumors alleging tension between Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮).

Kuo said Taiwan’s diplomatic goal remains maintaining security and promoting prosperity alongside the nation’s democratic allies, per Tai Sounds. She added that claims of infighting are “false” and have strayed far from reality.

Her remarks came after the KMT legislative caucus accused the ruling DPP of allowing factional rivalries to undermine governance. Citing a CNN report, the KMT alleged that internal disputes between the Foreign Ministry and NSC had led to a recent New York event reportedly seeing no attendance from US officials, a claim the Foreign Ministry has denied, per UP Media.

However, the CNN article did not mention the relationship between the Foreign Ministry and the NSC. The section referring to the incident focused instead on the Trump administration’s approach to Taiwan, examining whether it had downgraded relations or reverted to a stance of strategic ambiguity.

KMT Deputy Secretary-General Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) claimed Lin Chia-lung and Wu were competing for influence over Taiwan’s foreign policy, per UDN. He also criticized Lin Chia-lung for expressing support for a member of his faction running in the DPP’s Kaohsiung mayoral primary while the world focused on the potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Lin Pei-hsiang further alleged that Wu had dispatched NSC Deputy Secretary-General Chao I-hsiang (趙怡翔) to the US, bypassing the Foreign Ministry.

KMT caucus Secretary-General Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) administration had weakened the political capital built by previous governments, noting that Lai has not made a US transit visit since taking office.

In response, Lin Chia-lung emphasized the close cooperation between the Foreign Ministry and the NSC, per Liberty Times. Drawing on his own experience in the NSC, Lin said interagency coordination is essential to strengthening Taiwan’s international presence.