Cheng Li-wun, leader of Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang (KMT), met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday, concluding a visit Cheng described as a “peace” mission aimed at easing tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Cheng, viewed as a proponent of closer ties with Beijing, is the first KMT leader to travel to the mainland in a decade.
Beijing presented the visit as evidence that there is political space in Taiwan for engagement with Chinese interests. China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province to be reunited with the mainland and says reunification should be achieved peacefully, while routinely warning that force remains an option. During the talks Xi reiterated that China would “absolutely not tolerate” Taiwan independence, called reunification “an inevitable part of history,” and said the trend of people on both sides moving closer would not change. Xi said Beijing was willing to expand dialogue with Taiwan groups, including the KMT, on the shared political stance of opposing Taiwan independence and urged both sides to “consolidate political mutual trust” and work toward reunification.
Cheng echoed the emphasis on opposing independence, saying after the meeting that that stance could help avert war. She told reporters the Taiwan Strait could “no longer be a focal point of potential conflict” and urged transcending partisan confrontation to reduce cross-strait risks.
High-level cross-strait contact has been strained since 2016, when the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Tsai Ing-wen won the presidency and rejected Beijing’s claims. Relations have since deteriorated, with China staging large-scale military drills around Taiwan, including fighter jet and naval exercises that at times simulated a blockade. Beijing has declined to engage with Taiwan’s current president, Lai Ching-te, who succeeded Tsai after the January 2024 election and has been described by mainland authorities as a “separatist.”
Domestically, Taiwan’s 2024 elections produced a divided government. The KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) formed a de facto parliamentary majority and have used that position to stall a $40 billion special defense budget proposed by the DPP-led executive. The opposition has given various reasons for blocking the bill; the KMT says Cheng’s China trip is unrelated to the budget fight.
Defense Minister Wellington Koo has warned lawmakers that the package is needed to meet an acute and growing threat from China, saying Beijing is “continuously and persistently expanding its military capabilities” and that the danger is becoming “increasingly severe.” The KMT has skipped rounds of budget talks and favors a smaller immediate defense appropriation with options to purchase additional equipment later, rather than approving the full $40 billion now.
Cheng’s visit comes ahead of a planned May summit between Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump, where U.S.-Taiwan and China-Taiwan relations are expected to figure prominently. The United States is Taiwan’s largest arms supplier and provides political support to the self-ruled island while avoiding statements that imply formal recognition of Taiwanese independence. The U.S. has backed Taiwan’s proposed defense spending; Cheng opposes the larger plan in favor of a scaled-down package with future purchase options. In February the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration paused a separate $13 billion U.S. arms package for Taiwan, reportedly to avoid disrupting preparations for the Xi summit.
Washington’s effort to balance support for Taiwan with managing ties to Beijing adds pressure to cross-strait dynamics, and Cheng’s Beijing trip, together with Taiwan’s parliamentary impasse over defense spending, has put political influence and security preparations at the center of regional attention.