Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet the leader of Taiwan’s largest opposition party for the first time in nearly a decade, in a move seen as part of Beijing’s efforts to expand political influence despite ongoing tensions with Taiwan’s ruling government.
Xi, in his role as head of China’s Communist Party, will meet Kuomintang (KMT) chairwoman Cheng Li-wun in Beijing on the morning of April 10, according to Taiwan’s United Daily News.
Although Xi has previously engaged with KMT figures — including a landmark 2015 meeting in Singapore with then-Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou — the most recent such high-level encounter took place in 2016.
The earlier Xi-Ma meeting was widely viewed as a symbolic step towards improving cross-strait relations, with both sides expressing optimism at the time. However, the political landscape in Taiwan shifted shortly after, with the KMT suffering a series of presidential election defeats to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has taken a firmer stance on resisting Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
Cheng is currently on a rare visit to China, during which she has already met Communist Party officials in Nanjing and Shanghai. She has described her approach as “deterrence through dialogue,” arguing that conflict between Taiwan and China is not inevitable.
She has also indicated that the KMT would pursue broader cross-strait engagement, including tourism and political exchanges, if it returns to power in 2028.
The meeting is being closely watched for its potential geopolitical implications, with analysts suggesting it could give Beijing additional leverage ahead of Xi’s expected summit with US President Donald Trump in May, by highlighting political voices in Taiwan that favour closer ties.
However, the visit has also sparked scrutiny in Taiwan, where the ruling DPP insists that no political party can engage Beijing in official discussions without government authorisation. The party warns that China could use such engagements to influence Taiwan’s defence policies and military procurement decisions.
Taiwan’s opposition KMT has faced criticism for delaying a proposed US$40 billion defence budget put forward by President Lai Ching-te, aimed at strengthening the island’s air defence systems against potential threats. While the party has proposed a reduced version, it has indicated support for increased spending if further US arms sales are confirmed.
Despite Beijing’s longstanding position that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one nation, public sentiment in Taiwan remains largely opposed to unification, with surveys from Taipei’s National Chengchi University showing fewer than 10 per cent of residents support it.
