TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Kuomintang Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) met with nearly 300 Taiwanese businesspeople in Shanghai on Thursday (April 9), promising a "new era" when the opposition party returns to power in 2028. Back in Taipei, KMT legislators boycotted negotiations on a NT$1.25 trillion (around US$39.3 billion) defense bill as China announced live-fire drills in the Yellow Sea, complicating the opposition's narrative about restoring cross-strait ties.
Cheng is scheduled to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) on Friday in Beijing, marking the first meeting between a KMT chairperson and a Chinese Communist Party general secretary in 10 years. The visit has drawn criticism from Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (民進黨), which accused the KMT of prioritizing engagement with Beijing over national defense.
At a banquet hosted by the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland (全國台企聯) at Shanghai's Dongjiao State Guesthouse (東郊賓館), Cheng told the audience that cross-strait peace is essential for Taiwan's prosperity. "Only peace can strengthen Taiwan," she said. The KMT will promote exchanges "whether in opposition or upon returning to power," she added.
Cheng acknowledged the difficulties faced by Taiwanese businesses operating in China, including issues with flight routes, late-payment penalties for social insurance contributions and employee permit applications. "I know everyone has had a difficult time these past years," she said. "The KMT believes that when we return to power in 2028, we can end all of this and usher in a completely new era."
That morning, Cheng visited Yangshan Port (洋山港) and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (中國商用飛機有限責任公司). At the port, she invoked the philosophy of Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫), the late chairman of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (海基會), the island's semi-official body for cross-strait negotiations. Koo believed that keeping dialogue alive matters more than any single agreement.
Military Drills and Defense Bill Cast Shadow Over Visit
The visit unfolded against a backdrop of continued Chinese military activity. China's Liaoning Maritime Affairs Bureau (遼寧海事局) announced live-fire drills in the northern Yellow Sea from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (國防部) said it detected six Chinese aircraft, eight navy vessels and one official ship operating around Taiwan in the 24 hours before 6 a.m. Thursday.
In Taipei, inter-party negotiations on the special defense budget (國防特別預算條例) collapsed Thursday after KMT legislators did not attend. The session, chaired by DPP legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), ended at 2:45 p.m. The proposed legislation would fund military procurement and defense upgrades over eight years.
Lin questioned whether the KMT was waiting for instructions from Xi before discussing military procurement. "If you're lying there waiting for Xi Jinping, that's surrender," she said. The KMT has not publicly explained why its legislators did not attend. DPP legislators Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), Lin, Fan Yun (范雲) and Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) attended, along with session chair Chen and Taiwan People's Party deputy caucus whip Wang An-hsiang (王安祥).
Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) warned that China's military threat is "increasingly severe" and that Chinese forces could shift "from training to exercises to combat at any time." He urged legislators to support the defense bill. "If we don't stand up, why would others help us?" Koo said.
On Wednesday, Cheng's delegation had visited Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum (中山陵) in Nanjing, where a memorial tribute was dated to "Year 115 of the Republic of China" — a calendar that Beijing does not officially recognize. China's Taiwan Affairs Office (國台辦) did not address the ROC calendar usage, reiterating only that cross-strait affairs are "family matters."