By AFP and Focus | 2026-04-06

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwanese opposition leader Cheng Li-wun's coming visit to China has drawn mixed reactions at home, with critics warning of political risks and supporters framing it as a step toward cross-strait stability.

Cheng will lead a Kuomintang (KMT) delegation to China April 7 -- the first by a sitting chairperson of the party since 2016 -- where she hopes to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Once a fierce campaigner for Taiwan's independence, Cheng now sees herself as a peace builder at the helm of its largest opposition party.

The 56-year-old former talk show host and legislator has rocked Taiwanese politics since her unexpected rise last November to the top of the KMT, which has long advocated closer economic links and cultural exchanges with Beijing. Xi publicly congratulated Cheng on her victory at the time, underscoring Beijing's early endorsement of her leadership.

Accused of being too pro-China

Cheng has been accused by critics, even within the KMT, of being too pro-China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it.

Some in the KMT fear her vociferous rhetoric, which often echoes Beijing, could scare off moderate voters in local elections this year and the presidential race in 2028 and erode relations with the United States -- Taiwan's main security backer.

Speaking to foreign media recently, Cheng said talks with Xi would carry "significant symbolic meaning" and could be a "foundation" for peaceful relations across the Taiwan Strait.

Shifting allegiance

Cheng grew up in a "military dependents' village" for members of the KMT forces and their families, many of whom had fled to Taiwan after the KMT lost the Chinese civil war to Communist guerrillas in 1949.

Despite her family background, Cheng was a scathing critic of the KMT in her youth. She was a student activist and member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and campaigned vigorously for Taiwan's independence.

She quit the DPP after becoming disillusioned by infighting and "discovering that Taiwan independence is a lie."

In 2005, she joined the KMT.

Widely considered a dark-horse candidate in last year's KMT chairperson elections because of her positions on China, which go beyond the comfort zone of many members, Cheng stunned the party establishment by defeating her male rivals.

Cheng immediately vowed to unify the party and "make our home better and stronger."

Cheng has stirred controversy with her outspoken views, declaring Taiwanese people should be proud of their Chinese heritage and insisting Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a dictator.

Her remarks come amid heightened cross-strait tensions. China maintains near-daily deployments of fighter jets and warships around Taiwan and conducts regular large-scale military drills.

A strident critic of President Lai Ching-te, who belongs to the DPP, Cheng has railed against the government's plan to increase defense spending and buy more US-made weapons. Parliament, controlled by the KMT-led opposition, has bottled up the bill.

The DPP has said she is doing Beijing's bidding by stalling its plans.

Beijing's strategy

"If cross-strait relations are peaceful and stable, we don't need a pointless arms race," Cheng told AFP.

Analysts say Beijing is seeking to demonstrate it is "not losing Taiwan altogether to the United States" by courting opposition figures like Cheng.

Moreover, Beijing sees a need to "rescue Cheng Li-wun" from a potential intra-KMT power struggle, former KMT adviser Albert Tzeng told AFP.

High-level cross-strait communication has been largely frozen since 2016, when Beijing cut official contact following the election of then-President and DPP member Tsai Ing-wen. The chilly standoff adds further weight to Cheng's planned visit.