The head of Taiwan’s primary opposition party will make a diplomatic journey to China next month following a personal invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to announcements from both sides.
Cheng Li-wun, who chairs the Kuomintang (KMT) party after winning election to the position in October, will travel to the mainland from April 7 through April 12. Her itinerary includes stops in Beijing, Shanghai, and Jiangsu province in eastern China.
The KMT released a statement Monday indicating that Cheng welcomed the invitation and accepted it with enthusiasm. According to the party, Cheng “expressed hope that the two parties (the KMT and China’s Communist Party) would work together to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, strengthen cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, secure peace in the Taiwan Strait, and enhance the well-being of the people.”
This diplomatic outreach represents a shift toward warmer relations with Beijing compared to Cheng’s predecessor Eric Chu, who led the party starting in 2021 but never made the trip across the Taiwan Strait during his tenure.
Beijing considers democratic Taiwan part of its territory and maintains a policy of not engaging with President Lai Ching-te’s administration, labeling him a “separatist.” However, Chinese officials regularly host senior KMT representatives, and Cheng had previously indicated her intention to visit.
The timing of this visit coincides with ongoing political battles in Taiwan’s legislature, where President Lai’s administration is seeking approval for an additional $40 billion in military spending from the opposition-controlled Parliament. While the KMT has expressed support for bolstering Taiwan’s defense capabilities, party leaders have stated they won’t approve “blank cheques” without receiving more detailed information from the government.
This diplomatic activity occurs ahead of a planned meeting between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leadership scheduled for mid-May, though Beijing has not yet officially confirmed those arrangements. The Trump meeting was originally planned for early April but was delayed due to the U.S. and Israeli conflict with Iran.
The historical context of cross-strait relations dates back to 1949, when the Republic of China government, then controlled by the KMT, retreated to Taiwan following their defeat in a civil war against Mao Zedong’s communist forces. No formal peace agreement or armistice was ever established, and neither government officially recognizes the other’s legitimacy.
A significant precedent for such high-level meetings was set in late 2015, when then-Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, also a KMT member, conducted a historic summit with Xi in Singapore.
Both Chinese state media and the KMT referred to Xi using his Communist Party title of general secretary rather than his role as China’s head of state in their announcements about the upcoming visit.
