KMT chair Cheng Li-wun arrived in China on Tuesday for a six-day visit she describes as a peace mission, making her the first sitting leader of the Kuomintang to travel to the mainland in nearly a decade. Cheng’s trip comes amid heightened Chinese military activity around Taiwan and U.S. pressure on Taipei to buy billions in American weapons.
Before departing Taipei, Cheng stressed the need for dialogue to avoid conflict, saying that anyone who cares for Taiwan should take every chance to prevent war and preserve peace. Chinese state media quoted the Taiwan Affairs Office as saying the visit could have a “significant” and positive effect on peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Cheng will lead a KMT delegation to Shanghai and Nanjing before heading to Beijing, where Taiwanese outlets say a meeting with President Xi Jinping is possible. The visit follows years of limited official contact after Beijing scaled back exchanges with the KMT after the party lost power in 2016.
Reactions across Taiwan were mixed. Some citizens expressed concern that the KMT’s closer ties with Beijing do not reflect the views of Taiwan’s 23 million people, while others — including Taiwanese business figures based in the mainland — welcomed improved cross-strait contacts.
The KMT broadly supports a “one China” framework, though Taipei and Beijing interpret that principle differently. Beijing has in recent years increased military patrols and drills near Taiwan — actions last year described by some observers as encircling the island by land, air and sea. Domestically, Taiwan’s legislature is embroiled in a contentious debate over a DPP-led request for an extra $40 billion in defense funding, part of which would finance U.S. arms acquisitions.
Analysts say the visit serves multiple purposes. Some view it as a chance for Beijing to demonstrate that pro-Beijing voices remain active in Taiwan while presenting itself as willing to talk even as it maintains military pressure. Wen-ti Sung of the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub said Beijing is aiming to project that dual message of openness to dialogue and deterrence.
U.S.-China relations also influence the context. With President Trump planning a meeting with Xi in May and indicating he may raise future U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, observers say those signals have eroded some Taiwanese confidence in Washington and opened a “political window” for Cheng to position herself as a conciliatory figure, according to Yen Wei-ting of Academia Sinica.
Some experts caution that Cheng’s visit could play into Beijing’s United Front strategy, which frames Taiwan as an internal Chinese matter. Taiwan’s government has been skeptical about any immediate gains for cross-strait relations. Chiu Chui-cheng, minister at the Mainland Affairs Council, reminded Cheng that while she may visit China, she is not authorized to negotiate on behalf of Taiwan’s elected government, adding, “Peace can be an ideal, but not a fantasy.”
Reporting by reporters in Taiwan and Kunshan, eastern China.