Kuomintang Leader's Visit to the PRC: Beijing Polarizes Political Parties in Taiwan Before the 2026-2028 Electoral Cycle

From April 7 to 12, 2026, Kuomintang (KMT) opposition leader Cheng Li-wen conducted an official visit to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), marking the first trip by a sitting party leader to the mainland in the past decade. 

Her tour included Shanghai, Nanjing, and Beijing, where she held talks with Xi Jinping and other representatives of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Cheng stated that the official purpose of her visit was to demonstrate to the world that Beijing “seeks peace,” just as Taiwan does. At the same time, the central ideological message of her trip was a public pledge to prevent military escalation and avoid turning Taiwan into a “second Ukraine.”