TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's main opposition party announced on Wednesday (Jan. 28) that its think tank will attend a forum with the Communist Party of China (CPC, 中國共產黨) in Beijing. The forum runs from Sunday (Feb. 2) to Tuesday (Feb. 4), marking a resumption of high-level cross-strait dialogue between Taiwan and China. Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) Chair Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文) called the development a successful first step toward expanding the dialogue platform.
Cheng emphasized the KMT's commitment to fostering reconciliation amid rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait, which separates Taiwan from mainland China. She stated that the party is willing to pave the way for cross-strait reconciliation and will not act as a regional troublemaker nor let Taiwan become a geopolitical pawn. Cheng expressed gratitude to the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO, 國台辦), China's agency responsible for Taiwan relations, for swiftly arranging the resumption of the forum.
Cheng refuted recent media claims that the KMT traded blocking arms purchases for the forum, calling the reports a fabrication. She clarified that apart from the 1992 Consensus (九二共識), a tacit agreement acknowledging one China with differing interpretations, and opposing Taiwan independence, no conditions were exchanged. Addressing a potential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), Cheng assured that any decisions would be promptly communicated through a press conference.
Cheng underscored the KMT's role as a bridge for peace, aiming for stability not only in the Taiwan Strait but also between the United States and China. She envisioned the First Island Chain, a string of Pacific islands stretching from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines, as a chain of reconciliation. The KMT chair said the effort would start from Taiwan and work collectively for regional peace and stability. ◼