Taiwan’s opposition chief arrives in China : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fbe%2F77%2Fa80522f245a18d1307673137d5a8%2Fgettyimages-2267526118.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fbe%2F77%2Fa80522f245a18d1307673137d5a8%2Fgettyimages-2267526118.jpg" class="img" alt="Taiwan's main opposition party KMT chairperson Cheng Li-wun attends a press conference at the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents' Club in Taipei on March 23, 2026." fetchpriority="high"/> Taiwan's fundamental opposition celebration KMT chairperson Cheng Li-wun attends a press convention on the Taiwan Overseas Correspondents' Membership in Taipei on March 23, 2026. I-Hwa Cheng/AFP through Getty Photos conceal caption

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I-Hwa Cheng/AFP through Getty Photos TAIPEI, Taiwan, and KUNSHAN, China — Taiwan's fundamental opposition chief, Cheng Li-wun of the Kuomintang Celebration (KMT), arrived in China on Tuesday for a uncommon six-day go to that she has known as a peace mission.

It comes as China is stepping up army drills across the island, a democracy claimed by Beijing as its personal territory, and the U.S. pressures Taiwan to spend billions on American weapons.

Talking to reporters simply earlier than she boarded a airplane in Taipei, Cheng burdened the necessity for dialogue with Beijing.

"In case you really love Taiwan, you'll seize each alternative and each risk to forestall Taiwan from being ravaged by conflict," she stated. "Preserving peace is preserving Taiwan."

China's State Council's Taiwan Affairs workplace stated the go to may have a "important" and "constructive affect" on sustaining peace and stability within the Taiwan Strait, in accordance with Chinese language state-run information company, Xinhua.

Cheng and a delegation of different KMT officers will go to the japanese cities of Shanghai and Nanjing earlier than arriving in Beijing, the place Taiwan's media is extensively reporting she could meet Chinese language president Xi Jinping.

It is the primary go to of a sitting KMT chief to China in almost a decade.

"I do not suppose [the visit] is an excellent factor," Wen Wen-fu, a businessman from New Taipei Metropolis who was ready to fly to Shanghai, stated proper after Cheng's airplane took off. "Her celebration in fact is nearer to China and the ruling celebration is extra pro-U.S.…crucial factor is to contemplate the desires of the greater than 23 million folks in Taiwan."

One other Taiwanese businessman, Lee Jen-hsing, who relies in japanese China's Kunshan metropolis, was extra hopeful. "[Cheng's visit] is unquestionably a great factor as a result of the 2 sides of the Strait have at all times had very shut ties," he stated.

Beijing paused a lot of its exchanges with the KMT, in addition to most state-level ties with Taipei, after the KMT misplaced energy to Taiwan's present ruling celebration, the Democratic Progressive Celebration (DPP) in 2016.

Beijing considers the DPP and Taiwan's present president, Lai Ching-te, separatists, however "the KMT accepts that each side of the Taiwan Strait belong to at least one China," stated Xin Qiang, head of the Middle for Taiwan Research at Shanghai's Fudan college.

Although, both sides has its personal interpretation of what "one China" means.

In recent times, Beijing has stepped up army drills close to Taiwan, even encircling the island by land, air and sea final 12 months.

Taiwan's parliament is locked in a bitter debate over the DPP-led authorities's $40 billion request for added protection spending, which might partially be used to purchase extra weapons from the U.S.

Beijing is signaling that deterrence will not be the one approach to handle tensions and that it's open to dialogue, in accordance with Wen-ti Sung of the Atlantic Council's World China Hub.

"Beijing will use [the visit] to challenge this picture of how there are nonetheless a variety of Beijing-friendly voices in Taiwan," he stated.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb3%2Fbc%2Fb94860c2450f97c3f0b289a98f6b%2Fgettyimages-2269595107.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb3%2Fbc%2Fb94860c2450f97c3f0b289a98f6b%2Fgettyimages-2269595107.jpg" class="img" alt="Supporters of Cheng Li-wen, chairwoman of the Kuomintang, gather at Taipei Songshan Airport ahead of her departure for mainland China on April 7, 2026." loading="lazy"/> Supporters of Cheng Li-wen, chairwoman of the Kuomintang, collect at Taipei Songshan Airport forward of her departure for mainland China on April 7, 2026. Cheng Yu-chen/AFP through Getty Photos conceal caption

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Cheng Yu-chen/AFP through Getty Photos In the meantime, President Trump, who plans to satisfy with Xi in Could, has recommended he can be open to discussing future American arms gross sales to Taiwan with Xi.

Statements like this have led to a decline in belief within the U.S., says Yen Wei-ting, an assistant analysis fellow at Academia Sinica in Taipei, offering "a political window for Cheng" as she positions herself as a peacemaker between Beijing and Taipei.

However Chen Fang-yu, a political scientist at Soochow College in Taipei, worries that she's enjoying into Beijing's "United Entrance" technique, which incorporates welcoming Taiwanese politicians on journeys "to emphasise that Taiwan is a home or inside matter for China."

Taiwan's authorities is skeptical the assembly will enhance cross-strait ties. Chiu Chui-cheng, minister for Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, reminded Cheng that she will be able to go to China, however she will not be licensed to barter on behalf of Taiwan's elected authorities. "Peace might be a really perfect, however not a fantasy," Chiu instructed reporters final week.