On rare China visit, Taiwan’s opposition leader calls for reconciliation

Taiwan’s main opposition leader has used a high-profile visit to China to push for dialogue with Beijing, invoking the legacy of revolutionary figure Sun Yat-sen amid rising cross-strait tensions.

Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Kuomintang (KMT) party, laid a wreath at Sun’s mausoleum in Nanjing on Wednesday, in a gesture steeped in historical symbolism.

The city once served as the capital of the Republic of China before the KMT retreated to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the civil war to the communists led by Mao Zedong.

“The core values of Sun Yat-sen’s ideal that ‘all under heaven are equal’ have always been equality, inclusiveness, and unity,” Cheng said, in remarks broadcast live on Taiwanese television.

“We should work together to promote reconciliation and unity across the [Taiwan] Strait and create regional prosperity and peace.”

Cheng is the first KMT leader to visit China in a decade. During her trip, she also hopes to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Her visit comes at a moment of heightened friction between Taipei and Beijing, as China continues to assert sovereignty over Taiwan while refusing to engage with President William Lai Ching-te, whom it labels a “separatist”.

The wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Iran have also left many Taiwanese wondering whether a distracted United States, Taiwan’s unofficial security guarantor, would actually help them during a future conflict with China.

In the face of these concerns, the idea of thawing ties with China still appeals to some Taiwanese voters, said Wen-ti Sung, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub.

“If Chairperson Cheng can have cordial photo ops with Xi Jinping, the KMT can use that to argue dialogue is more effective than deterrence,” he told Al Jazeera.

Cheng framed her trip as an effort to reduce tensions, even as Taiwan’s opposition-controlled parliament has stalled a proposed $40bn increase in defence spending.

She acknowledged Taiwan’s democratic evolution, including the legacy of decades of martial law known as the “White Terror”, while also praising China’s development.

“Likewise, on the mainland, we have also seen and witnessed progress and development that exceeded everyone’s expectations and imagination,” she added.

Back in Taiwan, the governing Democratic Progressive Party criticised the trip, accusing the KMT of undermining national security. Party spokesperson Wu Cheng said if the opposition truly sought stability, it should stop blocking defence spending.

Neither Beijing nor Taipei formally recognises the other’s government, leaving dialogue fragile and heavily politicised.