TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in Beijing on Friday, near the end of her six-day trip to China, billed as a “peace” mission, per Reuters. 

The visit highlights political strains in Taiwan, where the KMT is blocking a NT$1.27 trillion (US$40 billion) special defense budget proposed by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德).  

Beijing has used the trip to signal to Washington and other capitals that Taiwan is divided on defense policy. The messaging comes as Xi prepares for a possible meeting with Trump in the coming weeks.

Academia Sinica political scientist Yen Wei-ting (顏維婷) said the meeting is likely to boost Cheng’s standing within the KMT. It may also sideline other party figures seen as more aligned with the US, including Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) and former party Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫).

Yen commented that the party has delayed key defense negotiations amid internal disagreements. Lawmakers skipped scheduled talks as Cheng toured China, while Chinese forces conducted live-fire drills in nearby waters.

“This visit is unlikely to reduce tensions in any substantive way because the structural conditions have not changed,” Yen said. He added that the KMT’s traditional balancing act between the US and China is becoming harder to sustain.

Washington has been pressing Taipei to boost defense spending, with Republican Senator Jim Banks recently urging lawmakers to pass the stalled budget. Cheng has questioned whether increased military spending would guarantee Taiwan’s security.

A former official under ex-President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said Beijing appears to be positioning Cheng as its primary interlocutor in Taiwan, per Nikkei Asia. He added that this view is not universally shared within the KMT, particularly among those facing upcoming elections.