Taiwan KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun Travels to China
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- Cheng Li-wun arrived at Shanghai's Hongqiao airport on Tuesday, April 7, and was escorted by Song Tao, head of China's Taiwan Affairs Office, before traveling by train to Nanjing.
- Kuomintang called the trip a "historic journey for peace" and noted it is the first visit by a KMT leader to Mainland China in a decade.
- President Lai Ching-te said Taiwan would not refuse talks with China but affirmed the island's right to pursue its own democratic path, rejecting Beijing's label of him as a separatist.
- Chinese warships were observed around Taiwan, with two off the east coast and one each to the north, northwest, and southwest, as reported by Ocean Affairs Council head Kuan Bi-ling.
- Mainland Affairs Council minister Chiu Chui-cheng urged Cheng to demand that Beijing stop its compounded pressure, including military aircraft and naval harassment.
- Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing a month after Cheng's arrival, with Taiwan expected to be a contentious issue at the summit.
Why it matters: The KMT's outreach could ease cross‑strait tensions by opening a direct channel, while Taiwan's government maintains its stance, signaling a split in domestic approaches; meanwhile, Beijing's continued warship deployments underscore the pressure Taiwan faces, and the timing before the U.S.–China summit adds diplomatic urgency.
