In the Republic of China, leaders of the Kuomintang and leaders of the ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party, have both expressed willingness to talk to leaders of the People’s Republic of China. But the CCP has been open to discussions with only one of these political parties.
According to a Taipei Times editorial, a forum convened to allow dialogue between CCP and KMT “that had been suspended for nine years is to resume this month…likely as a prelude to a meeting between KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun [shown above] and Chinese President Xi Jinping in March” (January 16, 2026).
As DPP presidential candidate and as president, Lai Ching-te, who has sought to improve the ability of Taiwan to defend itself from current gray-zone incursions and any future blockade or invasion, has stipulated his openness to discussions with the mainland government, albeit not on any old terms. It has rebuffed his overtures.
“Taiwan is prepared to talk to China as equals but it will continue to build up its defenses, the island’s President Lai Ching-te said Tuesday as he marked his first year in office,” The Defense Post reported in May 2025.
Illusions
“After promising to stand up to China and defend democracy at his inauguration, Lai insisted Taiwan was ‘willing’ to communicate with Beijing if there was ‘parity and dignity.’…
“ ‘Peace is priceless and there are no winners in war,’ Lai said, but added ‘we cannot have illusions’ and vowed to continue ‘to strengthen our national defense capabilities.’ ”
This kind of thing makes Lai a “diehard independence separatist,” CCP code for non-appeaser. The KMT, having acted to block many of the Lai administration’s defense initiatives, these days operates in a way that the CCP likes better. According to the Taipei Times editorial:
Although the KMT has been tight-lipped about a potential meeting, Cheng, who has expressed her willingness to meet with Xi since her inauguration as KMT chair, said the party is preparing to resume formal dialogue with the CCP and has topics to discuss.
The danger is that China typically manipulates such events to promote its “united front” operations….
Agreements made at the forum always contain explicit political statements such as “people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China” to echo Beijing’s “one China” principle, which denies the existence of the Republic of China in Taiwan….
Pundits have warned that the KMT’s engagement with the CCP might come at the expense of Taiwan’s sovereignty and security.
Trips to China by Hsiao [KMT Vice Chairman Hsiao Hsu-tsen] and fellow KMT Vice Chairman Chang Jung-kung have shown that such fears might not be unfounded. During a meeting with China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Director Song Tao, Hsiao reportedly pledged to oppose Taiwanese independence and support China’s “unification” with Taiwan. Media reports said that Beijing gave the KMT several conditions for a Cheng-Xi meeting, including blocking the defense budget proposed by the DPP government, as well as legislation “limiting Chinese spouses’ freedom” and Chinese investment in Taiwan. It also demanded the removal of institutional obstacles to unification, such as the phrase “opposing communism” in the KMT’s charter.
Although the KMT has denied the reports, its legislators have consistently blocked defense budgets and proposals to prevent Chinese infiltration.
The Taipei Times seems willing to be shown that despite all evidence to the contrary, the KMT will “stand up to hegemony.” But it also notes that the public tends to share its skepticism. According to polling by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation, two thirds of respondents “said the KMT no longer has a firm anti-communist stance.”
