Chinese leader Xi Jinping used a meeting with Kuomintang (KMT) chair Cheng Li-wun to cast cross-strait ties in terms of peace and stability, saying the current troubled global environment makes peace all the more valuable. Speaking as head of the Chinese Communist Party, he said the two parties had met to safeguard a shared homeland and to promote peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait.
Cheng echoed the focus on avoiding conflict and urged institutional approaches that could prevent war, suggesting the Taiwan Strait could become a model for resolving disputes peacefully. Both sides reiterated opposition to formal Taiwan independence, though neither spoke explicitly about immediate unification.
Observers described Xi’s tone as familiar and non‑confrontational. Michael Cunningham of the Stimson Center called the remarks largely routine and not indicative of any urgent push to force unification, noting Beijing appears to regard eventual governance over Taiwan as a matter of destiny rather than immediate pressure.
The visit highlights the KMT’s longstanding preference for warmer ties with Beijing while opposing formal independence. After the 2024 elections the KMT emerged as the largest party in Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, giving it substantial influence over legislation and the ability to constrain President Lai Ching-te and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Cheng is the first KMT leader in about a decade to travel to China, and his trip comes amid heightened tensions with the DPP, which Beijing refuses to recognize as legitimate.
Beijing continues to view self-governed Taiwan as territory destined for eventual incorporation and has long reacted strongly to moves toward formal independence. High-level contact between the two sides has been rare since Beijing suspended official dialogue in 2016 after the DPP took power.
With a US‑China leaders’ summit expected soon, analysts say Xi may be using Cheng’s visit to press the United States — and President Donald Trump in particular — to soften rhetoric on Taiwan or curb arms sales. In Taipei, President Lai warned that compromising with authoritarian actors risks sovereignty and democratic freedoms and will not bring genuine peace.
The KMT bloc in the legislature has blocked Lai’s proposed supplementary defense budget, which included potential US arms purchases, and Beijing reiterated its opposition to US weapons sales even as Taiwan remains reliant on American military support. Analysts suggested Xi could seek US concessions on arms as part of wider diplomatic leverage and that Cheng’s trip might energize pro‑Beijing voters while weakening pro‑Washington currents inside the KMT ahead of Taiwan’s midterm elections.
Despite the conciliatory language, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reported that 15 Chinese aircraft sorties and 24 naval vessels were detected operating around the island since Cheng departed for China. Commentators noted China’s military pressure has not eased, and while the meeting signals Beijing’s willingness to talk, concrete concessions or policy changes remain unclear.
Additional reporting by Chia-Chun Yeh in Taipei. Edited by Ole Tangen Jr.