KMT leader eyes peace across Taiwan Strait with China visit

Taipei, April 1 (CNA) The leader of Taiwan's main opposition party on Wednesday vowed to "lay a foundation for peace" across the Taiwan Strait and regional stability on her visit to China next week, during which she is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).

Speaking at a meeting of the Kuomintang's (KMT) Central Standing Committee, KMT Chairperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said it has been 10 years since a KMT chairperson visited China.

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Since then, cross-Taiwan Strait relations have worsened to the point where the Taiwan Strait is now seen internationally as one of the most volatile geopolitical flashpoints, to the dismay of the Taiwanese people and the international community, Cheng said.

"The KMT, therefore, has an unavoidable historical mission to prove that the two sides of the strait unquestionably can lay the foundation for peaceful and stable cross-strait relations, regional stability and global peace," she argued.

Cheng did not elaborate on what tangible steps she would propose or what measures could be taken to build such a foundation, and she did not take any questions after speaking at the gathering.

She did point to the KMT's past practices, however, as a possible guide to the future, were the KMT to regain power in 2028.

From former KMT Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) "Journey of Peace" visit to China in 2005 through the eight years of governance under former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) from 2008 to 2016, the KMT strictly adhered to the "1992 consensus" and opposed Taiwan independence, she said.

This direction, staunchly rejected by the independence-leaning ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), will immediately lead to the resumption of cross-strait dialogue and expand exchanges and mutual trust, creating conditions for peace, Cheng argued.

"As long as we return to the 1992 consensus, Taiwan will not need to fight a war," she said.

Cheng vowed to send the world an "important" message with her upcoming trip through her efforts to "resolve military tensions in the Taiwan Strait and pursue the benefits of peace at a time of geopolitical uncertainties."

The 1992 consensus refers to a tacit understanding reached in 1992 between the then-KMT government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Chinese government.

It has been consistently interpreted by the KMT as an acknowledgment by both sides that there is only "one China," with each side free to interpret what "one China" means.

The DPP has never acknowledged the "1992 consensus," arguing that Beijing allows no room for the interpretation of "China" as the Republic of China, and that acceptance of the consensus would imply agreement with China's claim over Taiwan.

During her six-day visit to China from April 7 to April 12, Cheng will make stops in Jiangsu, Shanghai and Beijing.

She is scheduled to visit Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum in Nanjing on April 8, but not many other details related to her trip have been released by China or the KMT.