{"id":18094,"date":"2026-04-08T10:50:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T09:50:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=18094"},"modified":"2026-04-08T10:50:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T09:50:03","slug":"on-rare-china-visit-taiwans-opposition-leader-calls-for-reconciliation-politics-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=18094","title":{"rendered":"On rare China visit, Taiwan\u2019s opposition leader calls for reconciliation | Politics News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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KMT chief Cheng Li-wun, the party\u2019s first leader to visit China in a decade, hopes to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Published On 8 Apr 2026<\/span>8 Apr 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Taiwan\u2019s main opposition leader has used a high-profile visit to China to push for dialogue with Beijing, invoking the legacy of revolutionary figure Sun Yat-sen amid rising cross-strait tensions.<\/p>\n

Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Kuomintang (KMT) party, laid a wreath at Sun\u2019s mausoleum in Nanjing on Wednesday, in a gesture steeped in historical symbolism.<\/p>\n

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The city once served as the capital of the Republic of China before the KMT retreated to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the civil war to the communists led by Mao Zedong.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe core values of Sun Yat-sen\u2019s ideal that \u2018all under heaven are equal\u2019 have always been equality, inclusiveness, and unity,\u201d Cheng said, in remarks broadcast live on Taiwanese television.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should work together to promote reconciliation and unity across the [Taiwan] Strait and create regional prosperity and peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Taiwan's
Cheng Li-wun speaks at a dinner gala with China\u2019s Director of Taiwan Affairs Office Song Tao in Shanghai, China, April 7, 2026 [Handout\/Kuomintang via AP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cheng is the first KMT leader to visit China in a decade. During her trip, she also hopes to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping.<\/p>\n

Her visit comes at a moment of heightened friction between Taipei and Beijing, as China continues to assert sovereignty over Taiwan while refusing to engage with President William Lai Ching-te, whom it labels a \u201cseparatist\u201d.<\/p>\n

The wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Iran have also left many Taiwanese wondering whether a distracted United States, Taiwan\u2019s unofficial security guarantor, would actually help them during a future conflict with China.<\/p>\n

In the face of these concerns, the idea of thawing ties with China still appeals to some Taiwanese voters, said Wen-ti Sung, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council\u2019s Global China Hub.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Chairperson Cheng can have cordial photo ops with Xi Jinping, the KMT can use that to argue dialogue is more effective than deterrence,\u201d he told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

Cheng framed her trip as an effort to reduce tensions, even as Taiwan\u2019s opposition-controlled parliament has stalled a proposed $40bn increase in defence spending.<\/p>\n

She acknowledged Taiwan\u2019s democratic evolution, including the legacy of decades of martial law known as the \u201cWhite Terror\u201d, while also praising China\u2019s development.<\/p>\n

\u201cLikewise, on the mainland, we have also seen and witnessed progress and development that exceeded everyone\u2019s expectations and imagination,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Back in Taiwan, the governing Democratic Progressive Party criticised the trip, accusing the KMT of undermining national security. Party spokesperson Wu Cheng said if the opposition truly sought stability, it should stop blocking defence spending.<\/p>\n

Neither Beijing nor Taipei formally recognises the other\u2019s government, leaving dialogue fragile and heavily politicised.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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KMT chief Cheng Li-wun, the party\u2019s first leader to visit China in a decade, hopes to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Published On 8 Apr 20268 Apr 2026 Taiwan\u2019s main opposition leader has used a high-profile visit to China to push for dialogue with Beijing, invoking the legacy of revolutionary figure Sun Yat-sen amid rising […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-pacific"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18094\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}