China opens dialogue with Taiwanese opposition

Cheng Li-wun, chairperson of Taiwan’s Kuomintang opposition party, arrived in China today for a rare six-day visit at the invitation of Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping. The trip comes amid intensifying Chinese military drills around Taiwan, which the Chinese Communist Party claims sovereignty over and has threatened to conquer by force. The visit also comes as the United States appears to be wavering in its support of democratic Taiwan by pausing or canceling a vital weapons contract. Although Kuomintang legislators have not ruled Taiwan for a decade, they remain a strong political force in the country and adamantly oppose military conflict with China, instead favoring engagement. “If you truly love Taiwan, you will seize every opportunity and every possibility to prevent Taiwan from being ravaged by war,” Cheng told reporters before her visit. “Preserving peace is preserving Taiwan.” Many Taiwanese voters support the Kuomintang’s stance, largely due to rising doubt that the U.S. will keep its implied promise to protect Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. The Trumpet has said for more than 25 years that America’s broken will is going to be the main factor enabling the Chinese Communist Party, whether through Taiwanese capitulation or war, to conquer Taiwan.