On April 12, Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office unveiled a 10-point policy package aimed at turning political dialogue into practical action. From restoring regular direct flights to sharing water, electricity and gas supplies with the frontline islands of Quemoy, also known as Kinmen, and Matsu, the measures represent a tangible peace dividend.
Kuomintang chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s visit to Beijing, where Communist Party chief Xi Jinping held a historic meeting with her, signifies a profound shift in cross-strait relations. This breakthrough addresses three critical dimensions: the containment of secessionist volatility, the restoration of a fractured national identity and the practical transformation of political consensus into livelihood security.
The first and most immediate significance of Cheng’s visit lies in maintaining peace and stability amid global geopolitical fragmentation. We live in an era defined by a polycrisis – from the protracted conflict in Ukraine to the volatility in the Middle East. Against this backdrop, the Taiwan Strait has often been characterised by Western media as “the most dangerous place on Earth”, a narrative that risks turning the island into the front line of a proxy war.
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Cheng’s high-profile reaffirmation of the “1992 consensus” and explicit opposition to Taiwan independence provide a rare moment of strategic certainty. In asking the piercing question, “If Taiwan can have freedom of speech advocating for Taiwanese independence, why can’t it have freedom of speech advocating for unification?”, she has effectively punctured the ideological monopoly held by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). This bold stance reveals that much of the current tension is a manufactured political choice rather than an inevitable destiny.
Cheng’s visit serves as a powerful deterrent against both internal secessionist forces and external interference. For Washington and Tokyo, the optics are clear: the cross-strait issue is a domestic matter of the Chinese people and can be resolved through internal dialogue rather than external mediation.
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In a world starved of stability, the KMT’s proactive engagement offers a certainty of peace and rejects the logic of a Ukraine-style proxy conflict.
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Peace is a ‘common wish’: Taiwan opposition leader meets Xi Jinping in Beijing in rare visit
Peace is a ‘common wish’: Taiwan opposition leader meets Xi Jinping in Beijing in rare visit
