The leader of Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT) opposition party, Cheng Li-wun, visited Nanjing on Wednesday in a trip heavy with historical symbolism. Seen as a proponent of closer ties with Beijing, Cheng is the first KMT leader to visit China in a decade, making the trip amid heightened tensions with Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), whose leadership Beijing does not recognize.
Cheng accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping in March and said she hoped to meet him, though no meeting has been officially announced. Beijing regards self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province destined for “reunification” and opposes any political movement toward formal independence.
The visit carried deep historical resonance: Nanjing was the capital of the KMT-led Republic of China before its government retreated to Taiwan in 1949 after defeat in the Chinese civil war. On Wednesday, Cheng visited the mausoleum of KMT founder Sun Yat-sen, a figure revered on both sides of the Strait. She said the KMT had honored Sun’s founding principles by helping to make Taiwan a democratic society, while also acknowledging the 38 years of KMT-imposed martial law until 1987 known as the “white terror.” Cheng added that mainland China has also achieved development that exceeded expectations.
High-level contacts between Beijing and Taipei were severed in 2016 after DPP candidate Tsai Ing-wen won the presidency and rejected Beijing’s claims over the island. Since then, cross-strait relations have steadily deteriorated. President Xi has not ruled out the use of force to bring Taiwan under mainland rule, and China regularly conducts large-scale military drills around the island, sometimes simulating a blockade. Beijing also refuses to engage with Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, labeling him a “separatist.”
Cheng sought to downplay the risk of conflict in remarks broadcast by Taiwanese media, saying “the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not doomed to war” and that she hoped to “plant the seeds of peace” for people on both sides and for humanity, urging reconciliation, unity and regional prosperity.
Taiwan’s National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen countered that China uses military intimidation and harassment to create an atmosphere of rising danger and instability across the Strait, aiming to induce psychological pressure, divide Taiwanese society, raise the profile of pro-China positions and obstruct US arms procurement efforts.
The DPP criticized Cheng’s trip. Spokesperson Wu Cheng said if the KMT truly wanted stability it should stop blocking a $40 billion defense spending supplement in parliament, warning that “Peace has never come from the charity of dictators; it must be safeguarded by Taiwan’s own strength.” Lai’s government said Cheng should tell Beijing officials, including Xi if she meets him, to halt military aggression and respect the Taiwanese people’s right to choose their future.
Edited by: Karl Sexton