Cheng Li-wun, leader of Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), arrived in China on Tuesday for a six-day visit that marks the first time an incumbent KMT chair has travelled to the mainland in a decade. Cheng, who became party chair last year, said she “gladly accepted” an invitation from President Xi Jinping and framed the trip — which will include stops in Shanghai, Nanjing and Beijing — as an effort to be a “bridge for peace.”
Beijing severed some official communications with Taiwan’s government after Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader Tsai Ing-wen took office in May 2016, citing Tsai’s refusal to endorse the concept of a single Chinese nation. The KMT has traditionally kept warmer ties with Beijing, but analysts say Cheng’s willingness to accept Xi’s invitation departs from the more cautious posture adopted by her recent predecessors. She is expected to meet Xi in the latter part of the trip, according to Chinese and Taiwanese sources.
Cheng’s visit comes as cross‑strait tensions remain high and Taipei’s security ties with Washington are under renewed public debate. A bipartisan U.S. delegation last week urged Taiwan’s parliament to approve a proposed US$40 billion special defence spending bill — a measure that has stalled in the opposition‑dominated legislature. William Yang, a North East Asia analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the trip is taking place amid “growing scepticism about the US in Taiwan largely stemming from [Donald] Trump’s mixed signals on his Taiwan policy and the Middle East conflict,” and that Cheng sees an opening to present herself as able to sustain cross‑strait exchanges and reduce tensions.
Political scientists warn Beijing’s outreach could also be strategically timed. Wen‑ti Sung of the Australian National University’s Taiwan Centre said Xi’s invitation, coming weeks before President Trump’s scheduled visit to Beijing on May 14–15, may aim to undercut arguments for stronger U.S.‑Taiwan defence cooperation and leave room for business‑focused talks between Washington and Beijing during Trump’s trip.
Domestically, Cheng’s manoeuvring carries political stakes ahead of Taiwan’s local elections later this year. Cheng began her political career espousing pro‑independence views but has more recently cultivated an image as a peace builder — a shift that supporters hope will broaden her appeal. “She is trying to thread a needle between the US and China… to strengthen her leadership stature while highlighting Taiwan President Lai Ching‑te’s failure to resume engagement with the Chinese side,” Yang said.
Not all observers are convinced. Chong Ja‑Ian, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore, said Cheng’s accommodating stance toward Beijing is unpopular among many Taiwanese and that polls show little confidence in her. “Many do read Cheng as a fair‑weather politician, an opportunist with little principle,” Chong said, questioning who will ultimately benefit from any deals she strikes.
Beijing regards self‑ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be reunified and has not ruled out force; many on the island, however, identify as citizens of a separate nation. Cheng’s visit — and any meeting with Xi — will be watched closely in Taipei, Washington and capitals across the region for signals about the island’s diplomatic trajectory and the balance between domestic political calculations and cross‑strait diplomacy.