RENEWED ENGAGEMENT
But it was Cheng’s meeting with Xi that drew the most attention.
Beijing has avoided engaging Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which it sees as promoting independence from China.
Instead, it has maintained channels with the KMT, which is seen as more Beijing-friendly.
The Xi-Cheng meeting therefore marked a revival of party-to-party dialogue between the Chinese Communist Party and the KMT – a priority Cheng has pursued since taking office last November.
Speaking on the significance after the meeting, Cheng said: “As long as our starting point is right, peaceful development across the strait is full of optimistic possibilities. Today, we’ve successfully taken that first step.”
Cheng returned to Taiwan to a show of support from within her party, with 19 KMT lawmakers welcoming her at the airport and backing her efforts to position the party as a bridge for cross-strait stability.
The ruling DPP, however, criticised the visit, pointing to continued Chinese military activity around the island during the trip.
Alongside the meeting, Beijing announced 10 policy measures targeting Taiwan, including plans to resume individual travel from Shanghai and Fujian, and to expand opportunities for Taiwanese businesses operating in China.
However, analysts say many of these measures are limited in scope and depend heavily on Beijing’s unilateral decisions.
“Seven or eight of the 10 measures are essentially unilateral policies by China,” said Wang Chih-sheng, secretary-general of Taipei-based think-tank Cross-Strait Policy Association.
“For many people in Taiwan, the attraction and how they feel about it is reduced, compared to before.”
