Cheng Li-wun, leader of Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), arrived in China Tuesday for a rare six-day trip she called a “journey of peace.” The visit comes amid heightened Chinese military activity near Taiwan and ongoing pressure from the United States for Taipei to increase spending on U.S. weapons.
Before departure, Cheng urged dialogue with Beijing as a way to avoid conflict, saying those who care for Taiwan should “seize every opportunity and every possibility to prevent Taiwan from being ravaged by war” and that “preserving peace is preserving Taiwan.” Her delegation will stop in Shanghai and Nanjing before heading to Beijing; state media say the trip could have a “significant” and “positive impact” on stability in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwanese outlets report Cheng may meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. This is the first visit to the mainland by a sitting KMT leader in nearly a decade.
Reactions in Taiwan were divided. Some residents expressed concern that the visit does not reflect the views of Taiwan’s more than 23 million people, while others, including business figures with cross-strait ties, welcomed closer contact. The diversity of opinion reflects deep domestic splits over relations with Beijing.
Relations between Beijing and the KMT chilled after the KMT lost power to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 2016; Beijing largely froze many exchanges with the party and scaled back official ties with Taipei. Beijing regards the DPP and President Lai Ching-te as separatist-leaning, while the KMT formally accepts a “one China” framework—though the two sides have different interpretations of what that means, said Xin Qiang, head of the Center for Taiwan Studies at Fudan University.
Tensions have risen in recent years as China stepped up military patrols and exercises around Taiwan, including large-scale drills last year that many analysts said effectively encircled the island. At home, Taiwan’s legislature is locked in a contentious debate over a DPP proposal for an additional NT$40 billion (about US$1.2 billion) in defense spending, part of which would go toward purchasing more American arms.
Observers say Beijing’s posture mixes deterrence with a willingness to engage. Wen-ti Sung of the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub said the mainland will use Cheng’s visit to underscore that there are voices in Taiwan inclined toward Beijing. Some analysts also point to recent U.S.-China dynamics: U.S. comments indicating possible talks about future American arms sales to Taiwan during an expected meeting between U.S. and Chinese leaders have, according to Yen Wei-ting of Academia Sinica, weakened trust in the U.S. and opened a “political window” for Cheng’s trip.
Critics caution Cheng could be inadvertently aiding Beijing’s United Front efforts, which aim to influence Taiwanese opinion and treat the island as an internal Chinese matter. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council minister, Chiu Chui-cheng, stressed that while Cheng is free to visit China, she does not have the authority to negotiate on behalf of Taiwan’s elected government, warning that peace must be pursued realistically rather than as a rhetorical ideal.
The delegation’s itinerary and any meetings in Beijing will be watched closely by Taipei, Washington and Beijing for signals about cross-strait relations and each side’s political intentions. The trip highlights the complicated balance Taiwan faces between managing security concerns, preserving democratic sovereignty and maintaining channels for dialogue across the strait.