Taiwan opposition leader visits China for 'peace' talks in first trip in more than a decade

Taiwan’s opposition leader Cheng Li-wun arrived in China for “peace” talks on Tuesday (7 April). Her visit to the country is the first by a leader of the Kuomintang (KMT), currently Taiwan’s largest opposition party, in more than a decade.

Cheng’s trip comes at a time of increased Chinese military pressure on Taiwan as Beijing views Taiwan as its own territory. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control and refuses to speak to Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, saying he is a “separatist.” 

Meanwhile, Cheng’s KMT, which holds a majority in parliament together with a smaller party, has stalled the Taiwanese government’s plans for $40 billion in extra defence spending for the island.

Speaking to reporters at the KMT headquarters in Taipei before heading out on the trip, she described her visit as a “historic journey for peace.”

"If you truly love Taiwan, you will seize even the slightest chance, every possible opportunity, to keep Taiwan from being ravaged by war," she said.

"So I would rather believe that all Taiwanese people hope this trip will succeed, because we can transform the most dangerous place in the world into the safest place in the world."

Speaking in Taiwanese capital Taipei on Tuesday, President Lai expressed his desire for equal talks with China.

"Equality and dignity are extremely important: Taiwan is not a part of the People's Republic of China and has the right to pursue a way of life that values democracy, freedom, and human rights," he said.

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At parliament, speaking separately, Taiwan's top official in charge of China policy, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng, said Beijing should engage with Taiwan's democratically elected and legitimate government.

"We call on Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun, when facing the Communist Party authorities in person, to demand that they immediately stop their compounded pressure against Taiwan, including military aircraft and naval harassment," he said.

China is yet to confirm whether Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Cheng, who will be in the Chinese capital Beijing from Thursday. 

The KMT-led republican government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists.

Cheng is going to China a month before U.S. President Donald Trump's scheduled summit with Xi in Beijing.

While Trump and Xi could strike goodwill agreements in Beijing on trade in agriculture and aircraft parts, they are also expected to discuss areas of deep tension such as Taiwan, where little progress is expected.

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