Translated with AI
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Zheng Liwen, leader of Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang party, in Beijing, China Central Television reported.
Kuomintang Party Chairwoman Zheng Liwen became the first party leader in 10 years to visit mainland China. Then-party leader Hong Xiuzhu made a similar trip in 2016.
Before arriving in Beijing, the Taiwanese delegation visited Jiangsu Province and Shanghai. Zheng Liwen received an invitation from Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China in late March.
Zheng Liwen was elected as the Kuomintang's chairwoman in October 2025. Congratulating her on her election victory, Xi Jinping expressed hope for cooperation between the Communist Party of China and the Kuomintang in accelerating common development and promoting national reunification.
Zheng Liwen previously said that she was pleased to accept the invitation to visit mainland China, emphasizing that she hoped to take "a successful first step toward peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."
Taiwanese authorities reacted negatively to the visit. Liang Wenjie, deputy head of the Mainland Affairs Committee of the Executive Yuan, stated that the invitation was intended to hinder Taiwan's military purchases from the US and to impede cooperation with other countries.
Earlier, Taiwan's parliament, which is controlled by the opposition, including the Kuomintang, blocked President Lai Qingde's proposal to allocate an additional $39 billion over the next eight years for the purchase of weapons from the United States.
Taiwan declared independence in 1949. China considers it its inalienable territory and views external support for the island as a violation of its sovereignty. Taiwan, for its part, rejects the "one country, two systems" model that China has promoted since the 1980s.
The US does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but has had a law in place since 1979 that allows it to supply weapons to defend the region, causing tensions with Beijing.
