Taiwan’s new opposition leader, Cheng Li-wun, officially assumed leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) on Saturday, warning of the growing danger of conflict with China. She promised to guide the island into a new era of peace across the Taiwan Strait.
Cheng, a former lawmaker, now leads Taiwan’s largest opposition party at a time when political and military tensions with Beijing are high. China continues to claim Taiwan as part of its territory, a stance firmly rejected by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
During her inauguration ceremony at a high school stadium in Taipei, Cheng told party members that Taiwan faced constant threats of war. “This is the worst of times. The Taiwan Strait faces grave military danger and the world is watching closely,” she said.
A Shift Toward Closer Ties With Beijing
Historically, the KMT has favoured engagement with Beijing, unlike the DPP, which rejects China’s sovereignty claims. Cheng, aged 55, has already signalled a friendlier stance towards China than her predecessor, Eric Chu. Chu, who led the party from 2021, avoided visiting the mainland and focused on building international ties instead.
Following Cheng’s election last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping quickly offered his congratulations. He called for joint efforts to promote what he described as “reunification”. On Chinese social media, users have even nicknamed Cheng the “reunification goddess”, a title she dismissed, advising people to “laugh off” such comments if untrue.
Balancing Peace Efforts And Domestic Challenges
The KMT’s new deputy chairman, Hsiao Hsu-tsen, visited China this week and met Song Tao, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office. In her first address as party leader, Cheng avoided revealing any concrete plans for talks with Beijing. Instead, she pledged that “the KMT will be the party that opens a new era of cross-Strait peace and leads Taiwan forward.”
Cheng also expressed opposition to increasing defence spending, a key policy of President Lai Ching-te that enjoys strong backing from the United States.
Despite losing the presidential race last year, the KMT and its ally, the Taiwan People’s Party, together control a majority in parliament. This balance has made it harder for the DPP to approve budgets and major legislation.
Preparing for Local Elections
One of Cheng’s first major tests will be the mayoral and local elections scheduled for late next year. These contests are expected to focus mainly on domestic concerns but will likely indicate the public’s mood ahead of the 2028 presidential race.
(with inputs from Reuters)
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