Overview
- Cheng Li-wun, who said Wednesday the world does not need a Taiwan crisis, will lead a Kuomintang delegation to Jiangsu, Shanghai and Beijing from April 7 to 12.
- Chinese state media listed the cities on the itinerary but did not confirm a meeting with Xi Jinping, which Cheng has publicly sought.
- It will be the first visit to China by a sitting KMT chair since 2016, reviving formal party-to-party contacts that paused for years.
- The visit lands as Taiwan’s opposition-led parliament holds up a NT$1.25 trillion (about $40 billion) supplemental defense plan, with the ruling DPP accusing Cheng of doing Beijing’s bidding and the KMT saying it wants details and not blank checks.
- The timing is closely watched before a mid-May Xi–Trump summit, and analysts say Beijing could use such engagement to offer limited exchanges like tourism or student links while pressing its case that party dialogue can lower tensions.