Overview
- Cheng Li-wun, the Kuomintang chair, is traveling to China for six days on what she calls a peace mission, with a possible meeting with Xi Jinping still unconfirmed.
- It is the first mainland visit by a sitting KMT leader in a decade, signaling Beijing’s use of party channels while it refuses direct talks with President Lai Ching-te.
- Visiting U.S. senators urged lawmakers in Taipei to pass a $40 billion supplemental defense package that the opposition has delayed, a holdup the ruling DPP says plays into Beijing’s hands.
- Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council asked Cheng to press China to stop military threats and to respect the public’s right to decide the island’s future.
- China has increased pressure with near-daily military activity and new propaganda pushes, saying it prefers peaceful unification yet refusing to rule out force.