Not just symbolism: What the KMT chair’s China trip signals for Beijing, Washington and Taipei

BEIJING: As a Trump-Xi summit looms and debate over Taiwan’s defence intensifies, Kuomintang (KMT) chair Cheng Li-wun is heading to China - the first sitting party chair to do so in a decade - in what analysts describe as a politically-charged signalling exercise. Xi may see a meeting with Cheng as a way to send a message to Washington ahead of the Trump summit, Wu said, especially as Trump has offered Beijing little reassurance - from fresh military backing for Taiwan to exerting broader pressure on China’s partners. He also pointed to the Mar 30 visit by US senators to Taipei, where a bipartisan delegation urged Taiwan’s parliament to approve the special defence budget, as further context for Beijing’s decision to elevate Cheng’s trip.