Xi Meets KMT Leader Cheng Li-wun, Calls for Peace
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- Xi Jinping met with Cheng Li-wun, head of the Kuomintang Party, at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, the first high‑level encounter in over a decade.
- Xi reiterated a desire for peaceful reunification while noting that China has not ruled out force and has intensified military exercises around Taiwan.
- Cheng said she would push for a “framework for peace” and raised Taiwan’s international profile, such as participation in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which Xi welcomed positively.
- Cheng’s KMT continues to block President Lai Ching-te’s special defense budget for arms purchases, including the Taiwan Dome air‑defense system.
- President Lai issued a statement urging the KMT to approve his defense budget, warning that compromise with authoritarian regimes costs sovereignty and democracy.
- Analysts noted the visit is more significant for Xi than for Cheng, with local KMT grassroots not wanting the trip ahead of elections and Xi possibly using the channel to signal to the U.S. not to interfere.
Why it matters: The meeting gives Xi a direct channel to influence Taiwan‑China relations and signal to Washington, while Cheng’s KMT seeks to block defense spending, potentially limiting Taiwan’s ability to bolster its security amid Chinese military pressure and complicating the island’s upcoming local elections.
