China’s Leader Invites Taiwan's KMT Chief to Beijing
A state-run news agency reported Monday that Cheng, who heads the Kuomintang (KMT) party, has been invited to travel to mainland China from April 7 to 12. Beijing noted that Cheng had expressed willingness to make such a visit on several occasions since assuming party leadership, and framed the invitation as a move to strengthen relations between the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) and the KMT, while advancing the peaceful development of cross-strait ties.
Cheng responded swiftly and affirmatively to the announcement, telling reporters at KMT headquarters in Taipei that she had "gladly accepted" the offer. She cast the planned visit as a symbolic rebuke of inevitability narratives surrounding cross-strait conflict, asserting that the two sides "are not destined for war."
"We must firmly pursue a path of peace for the sake of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, regional stability, and the well-being of future generations," Cheng told reporters at the KMT headquarters in Taipei.
Expressing gratitude toward Xi for the gesture, Cheng stressed that any progress on cross-strait relations during her visit must be anchored in the "1992 consensus" framework and grounded in opposition to "Taiwan independence" — long-standing preconditions that Beijing insists upon for meaningful dialogue.
Japan-China Tensions Over Taiwan
In a parallel development, Beijing escalated tensions with Tokyo on Monday by announcing sanctions against Keiji Furuya, a sitting member of Japan's House of Representatives. China's Foreign Ministry accused Furuya of "seriously violating the one-China principle" through repeated visits to Taiwan and alleged engagement with pro-independence forces there — conduct Beijing characterized as direct interference in its internal affairs.
The punitive measures imposed on Furuya include a full asset freeze within China, a prohibition on all transactions and cooperative dealings with him, and a blanket ban on entry into China, encompassing Hong Kong and Macao.
Tokyo rejected the move in unambiguous terms, with officials describing the sanctions as both "unacceptable" and "regrettable." "Japan wants China to swiftly retract sanctions on the lawmaker," Kyodo News reported, citing a government spokesman.
The dueling developments underscore the razor-thin line Beijing walks between diplomatic engagement and coercive pressure across the Taiwan Strait. China officially regards Taiwan as its "breakaway province," a claim Taipei has categorically rejected since establishing its separate government in 1949.
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